Paranoia
by Denebola Leo
Summary: The Planet has been struck by another space rock, this one carrying a mysterious figure that claims to remember Cloud and Tifa. A planetary manhunt proceeds in an attempt to contain the mysterious and potentially life ending alien. Paranoia runs rampant and faint memories resurface as Cloud searches for the mysterious being, and things begin to get far out of hand...UNDER REVISION
1. Calamity From The Sky?

**A/N: I'm revising the entire story before continuing on, as I felt I had a generally good story but, I kept changing the mid and late story to what I have now. So, I'm going to update in batches. It might take a while, but I think it's worth it. The overall story will be the same but there will be more meat to the chapters and clarifications, etc.**

 **I'd like to thank MarleNadia, Sailor_Star_Dust, and Irish-Brigid for their betas and generally putting up with my ass.**

* * *

 _"Go forth, my warriors, and defeat the slaves of Cosmos!"_

 _As Cloud looked at the large, throned demon, he had to wonder why he should be forced to fight anyone. How did he get here? Who was he? What did this Chaos fellow see in him, that he would drag him from whatever reality he was from into this one? It frustrated him to no end that he didn't know anything but his name and how to use the giant sword on his back._

 _"Puppets to a devil," mumbled a deep voice. Cloud looked beside him, at a tall and silver haired man that was dressed in black. His sharp features held a frown, and his emerald cat eyes looked downward in deep thought. There was some familiarity, Cloud was certain. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on that gave him a foreboding, uneasy feeling._

 _Shouldn't it be a good thing, to see a familiar face in a strange place? He wished it was the case._

 _The silver haired man looked his way, studying Cloud intently. "...Do I know you?"_

 _Cloud shrugged and answered honestly. "I don't know."_

 _With a slow nod the man gave his name. "Hm. I am Sephiroth."_

 _That name was familiar. Very familiar. Why did it fill him with dread? After sizing Sephiroth up, the gesture was returned. "I'm Cloud."_

 _"Cloud..." Sephiroth let the name roll off of his tongue, as if tasting it. "You seem reluctant to fight these opponents forced upon us, too. But, a carrot is being dangled in our faces."_

 _"Our memories," Cloud answered._

 _Sephiroth chuckled and nodded. "I would like to regain those. So, let us find out together."_

 _Something in Cloud was screaming he shouldn't. He took a look around at who ever else was gathered in this hellscape with him. A mad clown, a woman dressed in a way that it left very little to the imagination, a witch, some blue-clad monster...Sephiroth was the only one out of the group that looked remotely like anyone he would pair with. Maybe the other silver haired man too, but he didn't look like he played well with others. None of them really did, but he was purposefully floating away from the rest of them._

 _What did he have to lose? He already lost everything as it was. "Sounds like a plan."_

* * *

 _"We better stick together," Zidane drawled out as he put his hands behind his head. "Can't let one of Chaos' warriors snatch up a pretty girl like you!"_

 _Tifa rolled her eyes at the flirtatious thief, but smiled despite herself. Zidane just loved to flirt. "You know I can handle myself, Zidane. But hey, I'll have your back. Okay?"_

 _Bartz laughed as they walked through the forest. The sun was casting golden rays through the canopy and onto the dirt path. The three had fleetingly wondered who may have traveled the same woods to leave such a road. "They'll have a tough time of it if they try anything."_

 _"Y'know, I heard there's a couple of 'em that have their memories," Zidane casually mentioned. "The rest are probably pushovers, though."_

 _Tifa looked down at Zidane and blinked. "Really?" She wished she could remember anything from her world._

 _Bartz nodded as he looked ahead. "Yeah. They would have survived the last couple of cycles or somethin'. Dunno much else about them."_

 _"How'd you two find out about that?"_

 _Before there was a chance to respond, Tifa moved behind a tree and dragged Bartz next to her, Zidane already by her other side. There had been a lone figure at a crossroads that they had been approaching. She peeked out from her hiding spot and squinted her eyes; it wasn't one of Cosmos' warriors._

 _He had spiky blond hair and was of a slight build, but holding a huge broadsword on his back like it weighed nothing. She prayed silently that he wouldn't look her way, but then he turned to reveal piercing electric blue eyes. Despite the angle of the light, she could make that out. They were unearthly, and staring right into her soul. Why were they so familiar?_

 _She thought he might take that sword of his and slice their tree in half, or say some half-baked speech about a scheme he laid for them. That was what usually happened with Chaos' warriors. Tifa was tense with anticipation at what he might do, and readied herself to fight him. After all, he had to be a Warrior of Chaos. They weren't a friendly bunch._

 _His eyes flickered with something she couldn't read, his body still as a statue. Then he ran off, disappearing into the forest._

 _Then the ground began to scream. The ground began to scream?_

The bar shook violently, like a terrible earthquake had suddenly visited the patchwork city of Edge. Cloud and Tifa jolted awake in their bed, looking about wildly as they heard screams and howls; the sirens throughout the city were triggered, sending out an ear piercing alarm. Tifa groaned in irritation as she heard glass breaking downstairs as some of her alcohol stores were knocked off walls from the rattling.

"What was that?" Tifa thought out loud. She looked about the nearly pitch black room. There were no artificial lights glowing out the windows.

Cloud scratched the side of his head with a frown. "I dunno. We should probably check it out, though."

In quiet agreement they left their bed and quickly got dressed, wondering what could have happened so early in the morning. Was it just an earthquake, or did a section of Midgar's plate come crashing down? What if it was some other Shinra secret held underground that they didn't know about?

Cloud handed Tifa her clothing out of the dresser, the room too dark for her to see clearly. A little moonlight passed through the slightly opened blinds, just enough to help her dress. He called out what he was giving her before rummaging through the next drawer for his own clothing, then donning his pauldron and sleeve. His side duster hung limply on the chair in the corner, and he walked over to grab it before adjusting the belts after he placed them around his free shoulder.

The two finished dressing as Denzel and Marlene came rushing into their room, wide eyed and scared. "We tried to look out the window to see what happened, but there's just a bunch of people running towards the other side of town!" Marlene exclaimed.

Denzel nodded. "Yeah. I-I think I saw a fire down the street, too."

Tifa comforted the two and brought them back to their room after finding a flashlight she had stored away in the sock drawer, assuring them that she and Cloud would find out what happened. "We're going to find out what happened. We'll be back in a little bit, so stay here and be good."

"Promise to tell us what happened when you get back?" Denzel asked of her.

Cloud popped his head through the doorway, his spikes fluffed and messy from his pillow and his eyes shining blue in the dark. "Yeah. And if you go to sleep, you'll find out sooner," he suggested, the children snickering at the words said many times before by their guardian for more mundane reasons. They didn't give them much trouble after that, but the two adults doubted their wards would sleep tonight. They really couldn't blame them.

The couple hopped on Fenrir and drove off slowly. To their relief, the 'fire' Denzel spoke of were only flashlights behind red curtains, they noticed as they checked their street. As they came towards the plaza, Cloud stopped a man. "Hey, do you know what happened?"

The man was wearing a green shirt and jeans, and his beard looked disheveled. He pointed towards the outskirts of town, opposite the port. "Yeah! Somethin' fell from the sky!"

Cloud stared at him a moment, then towards his finger. He swallowed hard as terrifying possibilities ran through his head. He gave a curt nod. "Thank you."

They began to drive towards a pillar of white smoke in the south that was illuminated by star and moonlight, now that the city was dark. Groups of people congested the streets here and there, making it difficult to travel. They both had a sick feeling in the pit of their stomachs as they overheard shouted conversations about a meteor falling from the sky and how it was still intact, if half buried in the ground.

"There was a white flash, then boom!"

"I think one meteor was enough for a lifetime."

"I wonder when the WRO will get here? Damn thing knocked out the entire city!"

The two drove onward towards the outskirts of Edge, speeding up as they reached a patch of road unblocked by pedestrian traffic. Anxiety was welling in their guts and a painful sensation was gripping Cloud by the tailbone. His fight-or-flight instinct was starting to awaken.

"Should I even get near it?" Cloud mused as they came ever closer.

Tifa bit her lip, looking ahead. "Your cells are from a different alien..."

"What if there's one of those things in there, and it is Jenova? Like from a planet it assimilated?"

"Hm, if you think you should stay back, I'll take a look by myself," she suggested.

"Teef—"

"I'll be fine," she pressed. Or maybe she wouldn't be. No one would be safe regardless, so why worry so much? She was still worrying.

After a few more minutes the source of trouble came into view: a semi-circular rock jutting out of a cone shaped crater that ran into the dusty, stony wastes. The outside was still steaming from entry into the atmosphere, but there was no sign of anything either crawling or oozing its way out of the meteorite, and the two took that as a tentatively good sign. Maybe the shape was foreboding, but no signs of life was a very good start.

Tifa dismounted Fenrir. After giving Cloud a reassuring smile and pat on the shoulder she cautiously made her way towards the suspicious rock, stopping at the beginning of the crater. The earth here was somewhat softer under her boot than the hardened soil of the wastes, and she could feel the heat rising through her footwear. If it was hot, maybe whatever could be inside or on the meteorite had been cooked to death. That didn't stop Jenova.

Someone was pointing their flashlight at the meteorite. Tifa strained to see anything unusual about the giant rock. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out deep lines in the stone near the base. Lines that almost looked like a doorway. Her optimism disappeared.

She audibly gulped, then walked forward despite the sinking feeling in her chest. She was terrified of what might be hiding inside. Another Calamity that would be far harder to kill, or it could be another Sephiroth, she thought. Or maybe there was something somehow worse than either of them. At that point Tifa wondered why on earth she thought it was a good idea to check on the meteorite alone when she felt a warm breath huff near her shoulder. She jumped away, and Cloud's glowing blue eyes looked back at her with an intense, worried gaze.

"...Cloud?" She gently tilted her head to the side.

"If I do anything funny, just knock me out. Okay?"

Tifa slowly nodded before turning back, and the two came closer to the meteorite. It looked strange, almost certainly artificial in its roundness. Was it the husk of a dead planet, drained of all Lifestream by a monster that awaited to feast on this world? Cloud shuddered when Tifa pointed out the lines cracking the surface of the stone.

"This isn't just a meteorite," Tifa breathed.

Cloud gave a grim nod before he put a hand on his sword. He tried not to show it, but he was more terrified than he had been in years. A Jenova at its prime? It nearly won two thousand years ago, and all the Cetra could do was seal it away. The humans of today had no way to seal away such a thing, and he figured the best he and Tifa could do was buy the WRO some time to blast the area before it grew an army of monsters out of the citizenry, out of them. He was well aware that tonight might be the night they fought their last.

They were almost right in front of it when some of the stone moved, and Cloud took out First Tsurugi as Tifa stood in a battle stance, both of them backing up a little as the shifting stone slowly revealed a dark opening. They couldn't see past it, the darkness absolute within. Even Cloud's eyes couldn't make anything out, though he thought perhaps it was because nothing had approached the entrance yet.

"...Man, I hate heights," mumbled a voice within, echoing outwards. It sent the hairs on the back of Cloud and Tifa's necks on end; something was in there and it knew their language.

"This isn't good," Cloud whispered. He could hear footsteps getting closer and he readied himself to pounce on the monstrosity laying within as a shape quickly took form from the darkness. He wasn't going to lose his sanity again to some evil freak alien, not if he could help it. His mind was his own, and he was not a puppet.

A few moments later and a young man with short, wispy brown hair popped out of the meteorite. He held his hand up and on the entrance and blew out a sigh before taking in what and who was in front of him. There was some eerie form of familiarity overcoming the two warriors; this alien looked far from being a threat at all. Then, paranoia gripped at them again: this thing came from the sky.

His grayish eyes widened as he finally looked at the two warriors in front of him. He was dressed in the most bizarre getup either Cloud or Tifa had seen before, as if from some fantasy book. He stood a few inches taller than Cloud. Its unsettling gaze came to Cloud and to his absolute horror the alien _grinned_. It grinned at _him_.

"Hey, Cloud!" the young man chimed as it walked towards him.

Cloud swung. It was all he could do at that moment. He wasn't going to let this thing manipulate him like Sephiroth did. His stomach lurched a moment after the alien somehow blocked him with a copy of his own sword just in time. It held it up clumsily with both hands before shoving the still shocked warrior's weapon away. It moved and blocked Tifa's kick, then backed away as the sword it held disappeared. It sported a confused, almost fearful visage as it looked between the two warriors.

"Don't you remember? It's me, Bartz!"

Some faint memory flashed through Cloud's mind; the younger man's face was almost familiar. He shook his head and glowered angrily at the alien calling itself Bartz. "Stop trying to mess with my head!"

Bartz eyed both Cloud and Tifa warily. "I'm not?" It looked at Tifa and pointed at her. "I think I remember you, too. Your name starts with a 'T', um..."

Tifa tensed. "Don't even think about it," she said through clenched teeth.

"Think about what?" The alien backed away some more, watching Cloud as the warrior tensed further. "You saved me from Sephiroth, remember?"

No. Cloud attacked again, and this time he didn't relent. The alien barely had enough time to dodge out of the way of the enhanced warrior, blocking and jumping back the best it could, but Tifa socked it in the gut before it could turn towards her to block. Bartz tumbled into the dirt with a grunt and rolled as it felt the air move above him. Cloud's blade had nearly split its head in two.

The alien looked up at the two combatants and the growing number of people who were congregating on either side of the crater. Cloud lifted his sword again, above his head as he bored his glowing blue eyes into the young man. "Never again."

His sword came down, but stopped midway. Tifa froze as well. The only thing that could move was their terrified eyes. To their absolute horror, they had forgotten their ribbons at home in their haste to leave, they realized. The alien stood up and dusted its hands off before glancing at the duo.

"Well, um...I'm gonna get goin' and let you two calm down." It put a hand on Cloud's uncovered shoulder and gave it a pat; the warrior was screaming mentally and trying to break the stop spell that held him in place. "Maybe the next time we meet, we can talk instead of fight, Cloud." The alien then dashed away as civilians screamed and ran out of the way as it climbed a wall of the crater and disappeared into the nighttime wastes.

Some brave persons slid down the crater wall and checked on the two fighters, and soon the spell released the two. They both gasped, and Cloud doubled over and puked up what was left of his dinner after taking a couple of steps away from the small congregation. A few moments later and he felt Tifa's shaking hand on his shoulder guard, and he inhaled sharply. After spitting the bile out of his mouth he rose and looked towards the direction of the fleeing alien. Cloud made his way towards Fenrir.

"It knew my name."

"It must have read our memories..." Tifa looked back, a light appearing in the sky behind the meteorite. The WRO was here, and she tugged Cloud's single sleeve. "We should stay here and tell them what happened."

He shook his head. "I'm gonna track it."

Her reddish eyes were big and full of worry. "Cloud, it's not safe!"

Cloud rubbed Tifa's cheek with his gloved thumb. "I know. Gotta find it, though. It couldn't have gotten far."

Tifa's frown deepened. "It was trying to affect you, Cloud. What's to stop it from turning you into its puppet?"

He cringed at the word 'puppet' as he put his leg over Fenrir and turned the key, the bike rumbling to life. "Tifa, I know. Just...have them follow my trail, okay? And if it gets me..." Cloud tensed his jaw and closed his eyes for a long second. "Finish me."

As he opened his eyes again Tifa put her fists on her hips. "You're gonna go all alone?" she asked harshly.

"I don't—I need to find it, Teef. Please, just tell the WRO what happened. I'll take care of this."

Cloud turned and floored his bike, traveling in the direction the alien took as it escaped; Tifa angrily yelled something behind him, but his mind was only on one thing: Bartz. It wanted to talk, he thought. It didn't try to hurt them, but maybe that was just another trick. It could have infected him with that pat on the shoulder, its influence silently flowing through him as he hunted it down in the Midgar Wastes.

It didn't take long for him to find the creature that called itself Bartz, the alien looking back towards Cloud and cocking its head, as if it were trying to make out what was approaching it. It turned back and jogged towards some rocky outcroppings that would be hard to maneuver through. Cloud pulled over and shut off the engine, then walked towards the mess of stone and dust that held his quarry.

First Tsurugi was held in front of him as he glanced this way and that, waiting for some tentacled monster to drop down and absorb him into its consciousness, or for hallucinations and urges to overcome him. Still he traveled on, if just to snip the bud before it bloomed. Cloud heard the clatter of stones up ahead and he narrowed his eyes as he moved forward, all of his muscles tense with dread anticipation.

In the distance a voice called out, "what was that thing you were riding, Cloud?"

He didn't respond. Cloud grit his teeth. The voice was becoming oh-so familiar to him, like a dredged up memory he had almost forgotten. It terrified him to the core of his being. "What do you want from us?" he called out. He knew, but he also had to pinpoint where the alien was if he could. Cloud thought he saw movement between two pillars of stone and went off towards them.

After a moment and some more rocks falling against rocks it responded. "Uh, what d'you mean? 'Us'?"

"Us. The Planet. Why are you here?" Cloud asked with a hoarse voice.

"Oh, well I don't like to stay in one place too long. It was a surprise seeing you and...ah, Tifa! I remember now!" Cloud heard a happy hum and that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach grew, along with flashes of something, some memory. "So I guess I'm here to explore. But I'm not really sure why you tried to kill me. Kinda rude, Cloud."

Cloud came to a pathway in the shape of a chocobo's foot, and he studied each path. Behind him he could hear the din of helicopters and trucks. The WRO was probably on the warpath for them both. The alien was being subtle with its influence, and Cloud hated more than anything right now that it was influencing him at that very moment. He, Cloud Strife, had a slowly waxing urge to spare it and maybe talk to it, to find out how it knows them both...

But that was how Jenova worked, through memory. Cloud took a deep breath through his nose.

"You okay, Cloud?" the alien asked, voice full of concern. Cloud took the middle path.

"It's not gonna work."

"What isn't?" said a voice far in front of him, slightly muffled from the stone.

"We know what you are," Cloud growled.

There was a pause in the conversation. "What am I supposed to be?"

The warrior let out an angry sigh and quickened his pace; the alien came into view as it walked away from a pillar. It was familiar, too familiar as it looked at him with a curious face while walking backwards.

"I mean, besides a friend, of course. I hope." It scratched the back of its head. "You really don't remember anything? I guess you must have a bad memory." He chuckled nervously.

Cloud stopped in his tracks as a memory churned through his head. Portals. He was walking through portals with this alien named Bartz. He was complaining that no one would find them after Cloud suggested they sit down for a time in some medieval looking place, and...

 _"It's no use. We're just going around in circles!"_

 _"Let's sit here. We can wait for help."_

 _"You know darn well where we are. No one's ever gonna drop by."_

A light from overhead shone upon him, snapping him out of his thoughts. Cloud turned around and hid his eyes a moment, then turned again to point towards Bartz. Wincing in the light, he noticed the alien had disappeared again. He fell to his knees and First Tsurugi clattered to the ground next to him; he had lost it, and now the Planet was running out of time.


	2. Hope and Fear

Bartz tripped over his feet as the teleport spell took him to safety from the strange flying lights and an enraged Cloud. Standing straight and dusting himself off he looked around him, a moon and stars shining over a wasteland and mountains to the south; fleetingly he wondered if there were any other orbiting bodies. In the distance to the north and west were those noisy flying things, one of them landing and others beginning to shine their lights over the dark land.

They reminded him of some of the machinery found in the Ronka Fortress. He didn't get a very good look at them, considering the darkness and Cloud's chase, but he figured they would be just as imposing in the daylight as they were now. Bartz fleetingly wondered how technologically advanced this world was, before turning his thoughts to a more important subject: escaping undetected.

He decided that for now it would be best to just leave the area and see where the spine of the mountain chain would lead. Bartz frowned, thinking back to Cloud's violent reaction to him. That was Cloud, right? It was dark but he recognized the spiky hair, the voice, and the kind of creepy at times glowing eyes. He shuddered before he began to trek the wastes. He remembered a long time ago he had to fight him, when they weren't on the same side. Cloud had been cold and all business, but even then his eyes hadn't been so...hostile. Or fearful.

 _We know what you are._

If Cloud did know who he was, he wouldn't try lopping his head off with that huge sword of his. Unless Cloud and Tifa were actually homicidal maniacs in this world, or something. Bartz shook his head. They never acted like maniacs before. Tifa was a friendly, optimistic woman and Cloud was a quiet guardian that kept his cool...unless Sephiroth was pulling his spikes.

Now that he thought about it, he was surprised the two were there to "greet" him; he hadn't known they were from the same world. Were they together? He hoped to ask them about it when they weren't looking to kill him. If that time ever came, he thought to himself with a small sigh.

Behind Bartz came the sound of the machines he had left behind. He stiffened before looking back, watching the sky lights as they moved about in the distance. Some were headed his way. He turned to face forward again, then found a large outpost of rocks and boulders he could slip between to hide. Bartz jogged towards it, brushed back some delicate, dry vines that had found a home there, and squeezed into the small space.

It was like an extremely cramped cave, or more a tent made of stone. Bartz felt uncomfortable, with his neck stuck in a bent forward position and his knees tucked to his forehead. His feet were on one of the walls of the space he occupied, and the opening allowed him to see the dusty, moonlit earth. The vines would help keep the hole from being too noticeable, if he was lucky.

The sounds came closer. It sounded like a whirling blade, but much faster and louder. There was a light that followed, moving about what ground Bartz could see. The noise was stationary for a time, maybe five minutes, maybe hours; Bartz didn't know. All he knew was that the thing was kicking up dust and it was giving him the urge to sneeze. He bit his lower lip as his nose tickled and tensed.

The machine floated away after a few more lingering moments, and a very long sigh left Bartz's mouth. "Man..."

That was when another sound came charging towards his location.

It was a rumble that grew louder with each passing second. Then he remembered; it sounded just like the strange thing Cloud rode upon to catch up to him. Another sound from the same object came to Bartz's ears, then a click. Then, heavy footfalls that crunched against dust and pebbles came closer.

He heard an angry sigh. "Where are you..."

Cloud was right outside of his hiding spot. If he looked hard enough he would find his quarry. But could he see it well enough? A hand grasping at the vines answered his question. Bartz wasn't going to hang around long enough to find out if Cloud was going to finally talk to him or stab him where he hid, and he began to focus on another teleport spell. _Towards the mountains, towards the mountains..._

Right before everything shifted again, he thought he saw a single, glowing blue eye look at him in the darkness.

Bartz fell on his behind as the spell took him away from danger. He quickly stood up and dusted himself off. Cloud and Tifa lived on such a desolate world, he thought as he took his time looking around the mostly dead landscape. To the north he could see lights, one stationary and near the ground. If that was Cloud's transport, he had to get out of the area in case he came his way. Bartz ran off again, and he didn't look back.

After he felt he had put a good bit of space between himself and his pursuers he began to relax. Bartz still eyed the northern horizon warily, but the worst was behind him. His legs ached from all the running, jogging and walking he had done so far. He wondered if there were any chocobos on this world, and having left Boco to his new and fluffy family back on his planet he figured he would need a new companion as he traveled this new world. A fast one, too.

As the sky began to lighten he noticed a long snaking pathway of some dark gray material, something he had seen in that other world at one point while traveling with Cloud. "Must be a road," Bartz mused. "I wonder where it leads." He took the path as it lead to the east, and eventually to his delight the path opened up to a lush green canyon of sorts. Wide and surrounded by mountains on one side and cliffs on the other, Bartz took in a deep breath of the fresh, spicy air.

Maybe this world wasn't all doom and gloom, after all.

He took a break on a rock near the side of the road long after the sky had turned blue. Bartz gnawed on a chunk of jerky he brought with him in his little sack, his food and water reserves low. He knew he should have brought more considering most of his life he traveled the great outdoors, but he had been in a hurry to take that giant rock to another world. It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

Life had simply gotten boring, going to the same places over and over again. Then his crystal shards began whispering to him, about adventure and new places. He could go to another world, just like his father did, just like he had done in the past. Bartz didn't expect to meet someone from that strange world of eternal battles here, however. He remembered Cloud and Tifa, but it seemed they had forgotten about it like it was all a bad dream.

Well, maybe they would remember later.

He stood up and stretched, popping his back, then he continued on his way. After a while he heard a noise that filled him with some dread; he turned around to see a wheeled machine traveling towards him on the road. It slowed down as it approached him. Bartz tensed but soon relaxed as the person controlling the contraption came into view. An old man with a straw hat and a red shirt greeted him from a window and looked him up and down, as if he were dressed in a moogle suit. "Hey, sonny. Where ya headed?"

Bartz looked ahead, then back at the old man. "I guess that way."

"Ah, to the Chocobo Farm. Lookin' teh get yerself a birdy?"

Bartz's face lit up. "Oh yeah!" They have chocobos!

The old man nodded approvingly and pointed towards the space next to him. "Climb on in, boy, I was goin' there mahself."

Bartz frowned and rounded the contraption, noticing a similar door to the one on the other side. A metal rectangle gleamed up at him, and he pressed it. Nothing happened. He felt around it with his fingers and they slipped under it, and the surprise made him pull upwards. A satisfying noise greeted his ears as the door opened, and Bartz quickly sat down and shut the door. "Thanks, sir."

The old man nodded and moved a wand-like stick that stood between them; it made a cranking noise, and the machine lurched forward. Bartz looked about at the scenery as it zoomed by, and he figured that maybe the people here were a bit nicer than he had thought earlier.

They passed a fork in the road that lead to a place called Healin if he read the large wooden board they passed right, and Bartz could make out waterfalls up and in the distance. Dirt and stones covered in lush vegetation were everywhere up that path, and he swore he saw a man in a dark blue suit watching from above.

"Heard that somethin' fell near Edge. Them WRO folk've been searchin' bout 'far as my farm fer some'un, don't know fer who."

Bartz's face paled a bit, then he looked back out the window. "Maybe it'll all calm down soon." The WRO must be the group with the machines, and Cloud probably worked for them, Bartz thought. Edge maybe was a village or town, he could assume that at least.

The old man chuckled. "Ah hope so. Haven't a need t'check what the hubbub was all about. I might swing by Kalm'n see if anyone knows what happened later n' the day."

Bartz nodded quietly, watching as the scenery eventually opened up into a vast plain of grass stretching to the horizon after a long while. It looked as endless as the sky above, and in the distance he made out chocobos here and there. Smiling to himself, he squeezed his knee in anticipation. He couldn't wait to see the farm.

* * *

"We just need a few samples from you, Mr. Strife." The scientist had a dour expression on his face as he readied a needle for the nurse. His assistant was very warily preparing the tourniquet that was to go on Cloud's bicep as he sat stiffly on an examination table. "If there's an infection growing, we need to know. We can't stop it without your help."

The warrior's glower had not let up since he had arrived at the WRO's Edge headquarters at Reeve's pleading request. He knew what had to be done, but he hated needles, he hated hospitals and clinics, and he hated scientists as a general rule. All three check-boxes were marked.

The assistant had fearful, if very understanding green eyes. "I'm really sorry," she murmured.

"So am I," he snapped back a little more viciously than he had meant towards the petite nurse. Cloud tensed his jaw and ran a hand through his spikes. A long huff of a sigh blew out of his nose, and he looked away as he offered his arm. "Just make it quick, alright?"

"Absolutely," she replied meekly. Quickly she attached the tight blue band right above his elbow, then rubbed it with an astringent. The scent caused Cloud's blood to boil, and he squeezed his other fist. "Alright, I found a vein...just a quick pinch, sir."

It barely registered as pain, but gods, the feel of that needle through his flesh made his skin crawl. He clenched his teeth together, and his nails cut into the palm of his fist as he waited for the experience to pass. He wanted to do nothing more than to run out of there and out of Edge, and someplace free and away from this sterile hellhole. It was taking all of his willpower to not explode in a rage right now, to not go back there, under the mansion.

After the blood was taken, they scraped the skin of his shoulder for another sample. He tolerated that far better. Soon he was allowed to leave, and he found himself in a lonesome waiting room on the same floor. It was clean and white, with soft and inviting couches of a deep red color. A few miniature trees gave the room a splash of life. Cloud plopped down on one of the couches, and reclined his head into the back cushions.

He was psychologically exhausted.

His body appreciated how soft the couch was. After all the riding and fruitless searching last night, it wanted to pull him into a cozy nap. His mind wandered to earlier, when he swore he had seen the elusive alien hiding in a space between many large rocks. Had he, or had his mind played a trick on him in his haste to find it? No trace of it had been found during the night.

He drifted off to sleep.

 _Manikins. The things moved about in a jerky fashion, and what was worse, they looked like them! Warriors of Chaos or Cosmos, it didn't matter. Cloud had even seen one that looked like himself. He had cringed at it before Terra had caught its attention and went about defeating it with her innate magical abilities._

 _There was one in front of him right now. It looked kind of like Bartz. It had such a strange, distorted voice, too. Cloud brought his sword in front of him and readied himself to battle the crystalline abomination. It garbled something as it lifted its sword, then charged._

 _Cloud parried it, once, twice. Then he swung, and it dodged. It wasn't a stupid creature, that was certain. But, it wasn't clever enough to defeat him. He stepped back as it swung again, then used the opening to gouge its bluish chest._

 _"Argh!"_

 _The warrior slammed the flat of the Buster Sword into the manikin's back, sending it flying and its sword skittering off towards a white cliff edge. Cloud always felt strange when he had to kill one that looked like his allies, but there was no alternative. As the fake Bartz tried to recover, Cloud hoisted his sword up, then swung back down again. He released a Blade Beam, splitting the crystal creature apart. It crumbled and drifted off in the wind._

 _He stared at the space the manikin had occupied, then sheathed his sword on his back. Now, to find where Squall went to..._

Cloud startled awake and gasped as he woke up from his dream. It was a dream, wasn't it? He bent down a little on the couch and rubbed his face. As his gloves covered his eyes he raked his brain over the dream. He swore he had had a nightmare last night with a similar theme...No, it could just be an implanted memory, he thought.

He huffed loudly into his hands, then lowered them and looked around. No more sleep. Cloud brightened when he spied a coffee maker in a lonesome corner, and he got up to fix himself a drink. Two packs and enough water to fill a mug. Maybe it would be a little strong, but he didn't want to sleep again.

After five minutes of waiting he sat back down again, sipping coffee with a shaking hand. He glanced at the clock; he had been out for a little more than an hour. All he had to do was wait, and Cloud hated waiting. He pulled out his phone and checked for any more messages from Tifa. There was one from Nanaki earlier, and while he hadn't told his friend what had befallen him he had told him that yes, a meteor had fallen. There had been no reply back after he sent another message, that there had been an alien hiding within.

He thought of his family and the danger they were in as he looked at the small conversation between he and Tifa. That thing could be hiding in the city, shapeshifting into anything, even himself. Cloud shuddered at the thought; it would be so easy for it to go into Edge and just kill and assimilate...It could be doing that right now. His paranoia gnawed at him and here he was, unable to do anything unless the tests came back negative for a new foreign cell.

He would be trapped here, slowly becoming enthralled to a new master.

Cloud stood up and began pacing like a wild animal in a cage, his muscles tense with anxiety. He flipped open his phone and messaged Tifa, asking if they were out of the city yet. After a few minutes she replied that they were on their way to a village outside of the Chocobo Farm that had sprung up after the Deepground Incident. He sighed in relief at the news, but his job was just beginning, if he wasn't infected that is. "So much for my day off," he mumbled. He messaged Tifa back and then put his phone away. He swallowed heavily as he was pulled back into his worried thoughts.

A few minutes later Reeve opened the door to the waiting room and entered with a scientist. Cloud glared at the little man with frizzy hair and a bristly white mustache before bringing his gaze to Reeve and giving him a pleading stare. "What's the damage, Reeve?"

Reeve motioned towards the scientist, and the little man took a step forward. His soft brown eyes watched Cloud carefully. "There seems to be no contamination or infection with any new kind of cell or DNA. It looks no different from the sample you gave us last year." He looked Cloud up and down. He was releasing his breath in relief. "We are in the process of studying the meteorite outside of town for any clues as to what it was that exited it. If it's an exact copy of Jenova, time will tell."

The warrior stiffened; it meant he wasn't out of the ballpark just yet. He could very well be under the thing's influence and not even know it if it was the same species as Jenova.

Reeve looked expectantly at Cloud after dismissing the scientist with thanks. "It communicated with you last night."

Cloud nodded. "Said its name was Bartz." He put a hand to his head. "Dressed real strange, too. But I guess that might not matter now."

His friend nodded, his jaw tense. Cloud noticed and frowned at him. "What is it?"

"Cloud, under the circumstances I'd like it if you stayed out of the area. As a precaution." Reeve studied his friend for a reaction.

Cloud narrowed his eyes and angrily moved his hand to the side. "And let that thing prowl around the city?"

"It could influence you, and then we'd have to handle both of you at once." Reeve shook his head. "If you ever fell under its sway...we're already possibly in deep water as it is."

The warrior flared his nostrils as his jaw held a stubborn tightness to it. "So, who's gonna track it down, then?"

"We can't without a proper sample from it, or it has to make a move." Reeve began slowly walking closer as he spoke. "But, for now I'd rather that you aren't a potential danger to everyone else." His dark eyes softened, and he put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know this is difficult for you, Cloud. But you said so yourself, it was affecting your memory. Just keep your family safe, and if I find out anything at all, I'll let you know."

Cloud chewed the inside of his cheek a moment. He sorely wanted to help, but what if he made things worse? It wasn't like he hadn't in the past. "Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

"We're almost there, guys!" Tifa said in a cheerful tone, covering the fear she had felt since that morning. She was driving the truck Barret had found and fixed up for them in case they needed to leave the city in a hurry again, or if Cloud needed to get a large shipment of supplies for the bar in Kalm. As soon as Tifa had gotten home after being questioned for several hours she had hitched a ride in a WRO vehicle as Cloud was escorted into Edge. The sorrowful look he had given her as he was led away haunted her thoughts when the children or the strange memories weren't.

She was suffering from them, too, though they were very murky.

Tifa knew she had seen Bartz before. There had been a dream that she remembered flashes of, a dream that she had been startled awake out of when the meteor had landed. A few others had reached out to her as she drove the truck, the one sticking out the most being about a man named Kain.

"You never told us what happened, Tifa," Denzel said as he looked out the windshield. "Or where Cloud is."

Tifa bit her lip. She took the long way out of Edge to avoid the large meteorite. Barret had called, but rather than speaking to him with the children in the truck she had given him a message. Marlene was okay and she would call him later on. "Well, sweetie, after we get settled in town we can sit down and have a little talk."

"Something really bad happened, didn't it?" Marlene asked, her eyes still looking out of the passenger side window.

Tifa sighed. Marlene was always observant. "Yeah. Cloud is gonna meet up with us later, I hope." She mumbled the last part.

"He's okay, isn't he?" Denzel inquired. He sounded worried.

Tifa didn't answer. She didn't know if he was alright or not. She didn't know if she was going to be alright, either. Cloud was going to be tested for any trace of that new alien, and if they found anything there was no telling what would happen to him. Granted, she trusted the WRO to be far more humanitarian than Shinra was in the past, but if she knew one thing about Cloud, it was that he hated doctors and scientists and labs with all his heart. If he wasn't treated carefully, there was no telling what he might do if they tried to restrict his freedom, despite the circumstances.

Her phone buzzed in her skirt pouch and she checked it after pulling over to the side of the road. It was Cloud, wondering if they had left yet. She messaged that they were on their way to Walz and that the children were worried about him.

 **Still waiting. If it's bad news...I love you three. A lot.**

Her heart skipped a beat at the message. Cloud must be terrified, if he would so freely message that. She responded back and put her phone away before returning to the road.

"Tifa, are you okay?" Marlene asked.

She blinked back tears. "Yeah. Hey, we just have a little further to go!"

Denzel stayed quiet, but he had spied the messages on Tifa's phone. What had his hero so spooked? Was he dying again?

The rest of the trip was very quiet and Tifa wasn't sure if she preferred the silence and her worried thoughts or the children asking questions she didn't want to answer. She felt alone one way or another. Cloud was back in Edge, potentially infected, and they might never see him again. She squeezed the steering wheel, but stayed strong for the children. It wasn't time for tears.

Soon the young town came into view with the Chocobo Farm a bit further east and visible far in the distance. Tifa drove to the safe house set up by several of the former members of Avalanche, she and Cloud pitching in some extra money to help with the costs over the months. After Deepground attacked Edge they had to have a place to group up or keep loved ones, and this was one of those scenarios where it had to be used.

She led the children inside and into one of the bedrooms with two large beds. The children could share a bed and she could take the other for now, in case anyone else showed up; there were only so many bedrooms. She filled the drawer with their clothing and took a look at what was in stock in the kitchen pantry. There was plenty of canned food, but they were mostly just concentrated soups and vegetables. It looked like she would have to go out and find some food to make their lunch with.

Tifa left after telling the children to behave, and half way down the street her phone rang. It was Cloud, and she put the phone to her ear with a trembling hand. "Cloud? Is everything okay?"

 _"Yeah. I mean, the tests didn't show anything new...look, Reeve said it might be best if I left until they find that thing, so I'm gonna collect some stuff and hopefully I'll be there by nightfall."_ His voice was weak with relief, but there was wariness, too.

She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Then she went over what he said, and her brow scrunched a little. "He thought it might be best?"

 _"Just in case. He...he doesn't want me near it. Reeve said he'll keep us posted on any updates, though."_ She heard him sigh through his nose. _"I'll be down there as soon as I can, Tifa."_

"Okay. The kids will be happy to see you again...they kept asking about you." Cloud replied with a chuckle. It sounded so wonderful to her ears, and made her chest swell. "I love you, Cloud. Come back to us safe."

She could hear the smile in his shy voice. _"I love you too, Teef. See you soon."_ Click.

She put her phone away and sighed, looking up at the blue sky littered with white wisps as she continued on towards the store. There was a long road ahead. There was an alien on the loose and she had a partner who might eventually come under the sway of the rogue being if things didn't go well. All she could do was tend to her family right now, and handle one thing at a time.


	3. Under Each Other's Shadows

"He's goin' fer twenty thousand gil, kid."

Bartz gawked. "T-twenty thousand?!"

Chocobo Bill pat the side of the chocobo's head. "Gold chocobos are extremely rare, y'know."

The young bird cocked his head a few times, then nuzzled Bartz. He wrapped his hands around his big head, and it was melting his heart despite the huge price tag. "Okay, but what makes 'em special? Is it just the feather color?" That couldn't be why they cost so much, it was just a shinier and deeper yellow than your average chocobo. He expected the black chocobo to cost more, considering they could fly. They fly here too, right?

"They can go anywhere. Mountains, rivers, seas. Faster'n black chocobos, too." Chocobo Bill responded.

Bartz sighed. It sounded like a gold chocobo was exactly what he needed, but the price was steep. He shifted his weight on his feet while biting his lip. He really liked this chocobo. "Maybe I can come back later, when I find some way to come up with the money..."

Chocobo Bill gave the young man a thoughtful look. "Well hey now, if you're gonna try'n save up for her, the town north of here always has jobs needin' done. Someone needs somethin' killed so the area's safer, or they'll be needin' meat and skins." He motioned Bartz to follow him. "You said yer good with chocobos, son?"

"Yeah."

They came to a stall with a plain yellow chocobo in it, the bird a little skittish and watching the two as it clicked its beak. "You might do a lot o' runnin' around. If you can break this one in you can borrow her while yer in the area."

"Really?!" This would make his life far easier. "She'll be easy ridin' after I'm done with it."

After an hour Bartz was all set up. The chocobo wasn't used to a rider and the young warrior took a few laps around the farm to get her used to the idea of a person on her back, giving her a few greens Chocobo Bill gave him for training purposes. After his fourth lap he headed towards the town, but paused as he came up to the wall.

To the people on this world, he was dressed funny. He was conspicuous. Bartz hid away from the entrance and slid off the chocobo, then examined his clothing. Blue tunic and arm bracers, a single gold shoulder guard, his jeweled accessories and cape...He thought maybe he looked like a flamboyant prince to those that met him. He had been mistaken for that on his world, but that was just how it was; Lenna had seen to getting him a well made outfit, and he liked it.

He rummaged through his pack on the side of his hip and felt the cool surface of the crystal shards he brought with him. There were six, and the others had six each back on his home world. Naturally, he had to take Hunter. If he was going to travel the world, he would need to hunt, so it was his first choice.

Holding onto the crystal he focused and let its magic flow into him, and a reddish energy cocooned him for a few moments. It dissipated into the breeze, and he stood as a hunter, wearing a light green tunic and a long leather vest, green pants and leather shoes. A green hat with a feather in it graced his head.

The chocobo looked at him closely and warked.

"Hey, it's just me! Like my outfit?" Bartz rubbed the chocobo's head and mounted her again, then headed into town. It was a simple place, made of scrap metal and stone with wood here and there. After asking a few villagers for directions he found a wooden bulletin board with a lot of job listings on it. He looked it over, with offers from fifty gil to deliver a package to the Chocobo Farm to a thousand gil for killing a troublesome monster to the north where they would like to complete their port.

He settled on one that would get him started in this new world. The local butcher needed meat for the week, and he was offering three hundred gil for an...Elfadunk? Bartz blinked. There was a drawing of what he was to look for, and any other pieces of the beast the hunter could sell at his discretion, it said.

"How hard could it be?"

Bartz left the town and went searching for the strange creature, occasionally having to calm the chocobo down as it zig-zagged in a panic when something moved too fast in the grasses of the plains. He came across a hilltop and stopped his mount, taking in the view. Then he spotted them.

There were a few Elfadunks huddled near a river. They weren't particularly large creatures, five feet or so long. Dismounting the chocobo he gave it a few pats and tied it to a thick branch on a tree stump.

Materializing his bow (and still having no idea how this magic worked), he sneaked towards the Elfadunks. One was eating grass away from the small herd, and Bartz took a good long look at it. Big yellow eyes, blue skin and two tusks. There was a pair of horns on top of its head. The feet and tusks reminded Bartz of Garula.

He aimed at the dorky looking creature and shot it in the forehead a moment later, ending its life quickly. The other Elfadunks eyed Bartz, some showing aggression with short, low toots. He shooed them off with waving hands and shouts before going to work on his kill, something that came naturally to him ever since he left his hometown of Lix and took to the road.

He sectioned the meat with his knife and used the animal's skin to keep it in place. Bartz took the lightweight tusks as well, hoping they would fetch a good price somewhere in the town. He took his haul to his mount and tied the tusks to the back of the harness, then sat the large bag of meat in front of him after untying the bird.

While the chocobo wasn't overburdened to the point that it would refuse to travel, the return trip was noticeably slower. Bartz didn't want her to over exert herself with a heavier load. It was twilight when he had almost reached the town again, and his eyes widened as he heard a familiar rumble. He looked westward towards the road, and a black machine roared towards the town, with Cloud sitting atop it. The blond haired man looked over at him a moment, then continued on his way.

He hadn't recognized him, to his relief.

Sucking in a breath he continued into town and dropped off the meat at the butcher, who directed him towards a shop that would buy the tusks. Looking at the strange currency (they use paper for large amounts of gil?) he decided it was best to live outside of town in case Cloud was renting a room in the inn. He bought a cheap tent and cooking supplies and headed out and behind the wall. Setting up camp with what little firewood he could scrounge up from a nearby grove of trees he cooked some Elfadunk meat he had kept for himself on a stick.

While it cooked he situated the chocobo and found a nearby creek where they both could drink, then came back to eat and watch the stars. The constellations were different, of course. He made out what he thought would be new ones, ones people saw on this world. There were a few that looked similar to the ones on his home world, and even one that looked like one from that battle world.

Sometimes, between fights and traveling, he would look at the sky in that other world. Patches of sky looked similar to what he was used to, and other bits were completely alien. He mapped the stars to use during night travel, and his comrades had approved. Once, he and Cloud had sat by a ledge in some desolate place to study the night time sky. It was a wonderful diversion to them.

After eating the last bit of meat on the stick he shuffled into his tent to sleep. The sound of crickets and creek frogs began to lull him to sleep. He had a long day of jobs to do tomorrow, all while avoiding Cloud while he stayed in the area.

* * *

Cloud drove quickly towards Walz, the sun waning in the west and shading the canyon bottom he traversed. His seat compartment was filled with clothing and his Materia box was tied snuggly to the back of Fenrir's seat. The last thing he wanted was the alien to come across the magic marbles in the empty bar. They were simply too powerful to risk.

He had left the WRO building after getting a tank of gas on the organization's gil at Reeve's order, then promptly went home and took as hot a shower as he could stand to temporarily burn and wash away the stress that had tensed his muscles since last night. He had tried and succeeded at clearing his mind for a time, but worry and strange memories had come rushing back as soon as the sound of the shower quieted.

He had stared at the drain, and he had remembered a little more. If it was a real memory, that is. Some short guy with a monkey tail asking him...something. He responded back something else and the young man seemed to understand...that he wanted to go off on his own. It was in a place as desolate as the Midgar Wastes, with strange ruins about.

People don't have tails.

Cloud had packed up what he thought he would need and locked the bar up, and after one quick look around he left sometime after noon, on his way to Walz. His eyes watched pedestrians just in case that alien's face could be found somewhere, if it hadn't changed yet. Cloud took a good long look at the meteorite as he passed it by, the WRO blocking citizens from approaching it and wearing masks and protective gear in case anything was lurking within it still.

That was hours ago, and now dusk was upon this side of the world. He was almost to Walz, and his eyes glanced towards a traveler on a chocobo that approached the town, too. He looked a little familiar, but his features were hard to make out at that distance. He wore some sort of traditional outfit that looked like something from Kalm, uncommon but not unheard of in the country.

Perhaps the news of what had happened hadn't reached this far just yet, and it might not with the soon to be quarantined area to the west and north. The road to Junon had already been blocked that morning, and he had to deal with the soldiers setting up a roadblock on the path east towards Walz. The ports were closed, and people in Edge and Kalm were going to start panicking soon.

He parked Fenrir outside the house and collected his clothing sack and materia box. Almost as soon as he opened the door his body was attacked by two pairs of arms gripping him as hard as they could. Cloud put his parcels down on the couch and hugged the children back; this morning he thought he would never get the chance to see them ever again. Feeling them against him was a soothing balm.

His family was safe.

"We were worried you were going away again," Denzel mumbled into his hero's shirt.

Cloud sighed and rustled the boy's hair. "I was worried about that, too."

"Are you gonna tell us what happened? Tifa's not telling us anything!" Marlene complained.

"I wanted Cloud here first, sweetie," Tifa said from the entrance to the kitchen. Cloud stood straight and quickly walked over to her. He hugged her tight and nuzzled the side of her head. The scent of her hair wafted into his nose, and he took a silent drag. He almost lost her, and as she felt her cool skin against his, it was starting to really hit. She squeezed him back, relieved he was here and not in Edge. "I'm so glad you weren't..." Her whisper trailed off.

"Me too...Tifa."

He parted so he could quickly put his things away in the room they were using. Despite everything that was happening, at that moment he felt good. His family was safe and he wasn't being held against his will. After he jammed the materia box under the bed he went to the bathroom to freshen up.

After relieving himself, Cloud took a look at himself in the mirror. He didn't look any worse than he had back in Edge. There were dark circles slowly forming under his wary eyes and his hair was windswept. Stress and worry were taking a toll on his facial features. He let out a sigh, then rinsed his face, splashing water on his skin several times. After drying off, he came downstairs to eat with his family.

Cloud sat down after helping Tifa serve the children's dishes. It felt so normal, like last night was just a distant nightmare. Something to savor while it was within his grasp. There was a tension in the air though, one not unlike the tension that hung about when he came home after his Geostigma was cured. But that was caused by his bad decisions, and this was caused by something he couldn't help. Hopefully he could keep his sanity in tact for their sakes.

"Yuffie's on her way," Tifa began after chewing on a spoonful of peas. "Reeve wanted someone to brief him in person."

"Shinra doesn't know what happened yet? Color me surprised," he drawled out. He began to chew on a piece of chicken; did Rufus really not know? He had to know something by now...

Tifa shrugged. "Apparently most of the Turks had been on the Western Continent, so his army of eyes were a bit preoccupied."

Cloud let out a grunt. Rufus knew plenty, but not everything. Still, it didn't sit right. No matter his opinion on their lack of information, Shinra and the WRO would have to team up for this menace soon. "Reeve still should have told him."

"I'm sure he told him enough. Yuffie said Rufus would wait for the rest." Tifa still harbored distrust for Shinra, but once again it would have to be set aside for the greater good.

"I guess I'll be taking her to Healin?"

"Do you really want her driving the truck?"

"So what happened already?!" Marlene interrupted as she played with her food. Cloud and Tifa looked at each other, then back at the two children.

Cloud drew in a deep breath. "Something fell from the sky." The children's eyes widened and they glanced at each other before returning their stare to Cloud. He continued after licking his lips nervously. "And something was inside, waiting."

"It wasn't..." Denzel began.

Cloud shrugged. "We...we don't really know what it is just yet, but we're gonna make sure it isn't...her."

"How? Did you catch it?" Marlene asked.

"It escaped," Tifa said forlornly. "The entire area is being quarantined right now, which means no one is allowed in or out without special permission."

"What about all our friends?" the little girl replied with concern.

Cloud sighed. "I'm sure they'll be fine, Marlene," he lied. He really didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it. "We can't do anything about it until the alien is found, so there's no use worrying about it," he added. Perhaps it was cowardly to say in his opinion, but there was simply no way to go back to get anyone else.

The rest of their dinner was eaten in silence, and the couple took the children to bed after cleaning up. They brushed their teeth as Cloud slipped into a white tee shirt and black pajama bottoms. Tifa used the bathroom to dress as Denzel and Marlene left, and Cloud tucked them into their bed.

Marlene put her small hand over his as it rested on her shoulder. "Do you think everyone will be okay?"

Cloud looked down at her hand, then back into her soft, brown eyes. The truth was, he didn't know. His mind always went to the worst case scenarios he could think of, and it frustrated him to no end that the best he could do was stay away. He took a deep breath. "I-I think that the WRO can handle it."

"I think we'll be fine here, if you wanna go after it," Denzel reasoned. "Those soldiers don't have a chance against it, like you do."

The blond's lips twitched downward, and his throat was dry when he swallowed. Denzel wasn't entirely wrong, if the alien turned out to be hostile. If? The planet was running out of time. The WRO was running on mostly young, inexperienced troops that would be fodder to a new monster army if the creature wasn't promptly destroyed by napalm.

"I really should stay here, in case it comes this way." Cloud gave a pat to Denzel's shoulder. "Tomorrow we'll take a look around town, or something."

Denzel raised a brow, but decided not to ask what 'or something' was. "Okay. Goodnight, Cloud."

"Night, Cloud!"

Cloud stood up from the side of the bed. "Good night, you two."

After Tifa said good night to the children they went downstairs to wait for Yuffie. They sat on the couch, and Tifa rested her head on Cloud's shoulder as he softly rubbed her arm and leaned back into the cushions. He let out a quiet sigh, his eyes half open. They were both tired and hadn't slept since last night, but sleep had to wait.

"Yuffie's comin' to watch over me, isn't she?"

Tifa hummed an affirmative. "Yuffie said she'd have to go see Rufus Shinra too, that wasn't made up. So you aren't getting out of being her escort." She paused for a few moments before continuing. "I've been having those...thoughts, too, so...I suppose you aren't alone this time. She might have to watch me as well."

He felt himself stiffen as she coyly admitted that she was suffering the same thoughts as himself. "I wish you didn't," he whispered.

"But why do I? I see him and a teenager with a tail, or a man dressed like a dragon...I'm not...I don't think..." Tifa put a hand to her forehead.

Cloud shrugged helplessly. It was one of the reasons he was half tempted to talk to the alien instead of simply hacking it to pieces and then burning it to ash; Tifa had never touched it without physical protection. But if it could psychically implant thoughts and suggestions into the mind...

Still, when it had appeared suddenly it had looked awfully familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen that face before. Bartz couldn't have implanted anything into them at that point, and he specifically remembered studying it before it noticed them. It was a friendly face, but under the circumstances it had just increased his terror of the being last night.

That alien, Bartz, never harmed them. He wasn't infected by it, either. "...What if it's not like Jenova?"

Tifa looked up at him and studied his face. He raised his brows. "Cloud..."

"It's a possibility." Tifa continued to stare. "I'm not takin' any chances, don't worry."

"Are you saying that because we're both experiencing the same thing, or..." She trailed off and looked down.

He too looked away, biting his lip as he stared at the wall. "It's funny. I haven't had any urges or pulls to do anything. Just those...memories, if that's what they are, and the thought that it might not be a real threat." Cloud sighed. "I'm still...I guess this is why Reeve wanted me here and not in Edge."

Tifa nodded as they brought their gazes back to each other. She reached towards him and gave him a kiss, and Cloud embraced her tightly. They both were worried about the other, worried about what could possibly be going through their minds. After their lips parted Tifa gave him a reassuring smile. "Maybe you need to do something that'll get your mind off things."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. There's gotta be something to keep me busy here."

"There's a bulletin board near the town center with jobs on it. After you and Yuffie return tomorrow, maybe you can see what you'd like to do on there," she offered.

"I think I will," he said with a smile. There was a knock on the door and Tifa leapt up to check the door. A few moments later Yuffie was putting down her suitcase while complaining about the driver of the truck that brought her to the town. Her stomach was still a little sour from the ride, it seemed.

"Barret said he's gonna shoot your spiky headed ass if you start actin' funny around Marlene," Yuffie said with a mischievous grin.

Cloud snorted. "Good thing he's not here, then. If I sneezed in her direction it would probably be considered a threat right now."

Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "You came back negative and you're far away from ground zero, so I don't know what's up his ass."

Tifa giggled. "Barret's protective, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna hit the hay, gotta get to Healin Lodge early with these papers I'm supposed to deliver."

"Don't wake the kids with your snoring," Cloud teased. The ninja punched his arm and he cracked a smile as she huffed up the stairs to the room next to theirs before shutting the door quietly. Cloud looked at Tifa and took her hand, squeezing it. "We should probably get some sleep, too. It's been a really long day."

"Yeah." They made their way into the bedroom and held each other close on their bed, Cloud holding a protective arm over Tifa. He listened to her breathing slow and even out before following her into sleep's temporary embrace, leaving his anxiety behind for a fleeting while.

 _"If we wanna go home, we have to find our crystals."_

 _The point was being reiterated by Onion Knight. What a strange name. What did it mean? Did he use onions in his fights? Cloud shook his head and looked over a few of the others congregated about._

 _Flash!_

 _"Watch your back," Squall called out to him._

 _Almost immediately a manikin tried to get the teen from behind, only for Cloud to slice it in two. "You were saying?"_

 _Flash!_

 _"You seem interested in that girl," Golbez rumbled out._

 _Cloud shrugged, but said nothing back. Tifa was here. His best friend. He understood that he was here to be a tormented little puppet, but what about her?_

 _"I'll not pry, but—"_

 _"Then don't," he snapped back before walking away. What to do? She was on Cosmos' side. Hm. Cloud would do what he wanted to do._

* * *

 _"That guy is watching us again," Zidane remarked._

 _Tifa turned to look at the blond haired stranger. He was crouching down on top of a cliff that faced the plains she transversed on. She couldn't help the frown that grew on her face as she observed him. Would he finally attack them, or run off again?_

 _What was this guy's problem?_

 _"Better not take our eyes off of him."_

 _Zidane nodded. Tifa walked briskly, her eyes narrowing at the warrior of Chaos. He was a warrior of Chaos, right? The mysterious stranger still had yet to make a move against them._

 _Flash!_

 _That nasty witch said Kain was up to no good. Could she believe it? Chaos chose the most unpredictable minions. But maybe it was true. Maybe he was a traitor. After all, Cloud had saved her from Sephiroth, so maybe Kain was working for them secretly. She really hoped to talk to Cloud again, even if he said they might fight the next time they met._

 _Something in her heart told her he wouldn't dare. But why?_

 _Oh, Bartz was up ahead, she would see what he knew. Bartz...?_


	4. Gravity Of The Situation

**A/N: This is the first batch! 5-9 should come out...eventually. But if you wanna wait a bit, it'll make for a better story. But if you don't, that's fine too. Again, thanks to my beta readers MarleNadia, Sailor_Star_Dust, and Irish-Brigid.**

* * *

Cloud awoke, blinking as his sight cleared up after a moment. He dreamed of it now, dreamed of Bartz and so many others. They were comrades in a world that they were forced to fight in, a woman named Cosmos brought them there. They didn't know where they came from at first, with bits and pieces of their memories returning here and there.

Didn't he have dreams of this before, before the meteorite? Cloud rubbed his face with his hand, sniffling as he raked his brain. He didn't always remember his dreams, but some of them had been quite vivid in the past year. His hand left his face, and he stared at the ceiling. Were they there, in those older dreams?

He shifted his weight onto an elbow and looked at the empty space next to him. Tifa always was an early riser, and it seemed her exhaustion hadn't stopped her from keeping her schedule. He heard the scrape of a pan, and the faint scent of coffee and potatoes. Shrugging off the dream or whatever it was, he went to take a shower before joining the others for breakfast.

 _"You're out of luck," Cloud drawled out. His sword was at his opponent's neck. He was just a kid, with platinum blond hair and a loose-cropped open shirt fastened by a pendant over his chest. He had a red sash and boots that looked like they belonged to a knight's suit of armor. "What were you thinking?"_

 _"W-well, ah..."_

 _Cloud rolled his eyes before lifting his sword away. "I'm no pushover, kid. Now get out of here before I change my mind."_

Cloud gasped and leaned against the tile of the shower. When did he get into the shower? What did he just see? Since when did he fight random kids? Cloud put his hand up to his head, his fingers curled into his soaking wet hair. He hissed a sigh as a name came to him: Vaan. The teen's name was Vaan.

Cloud shook his head, then slowly dropped his hand away from his face. This was not how he wanted to start his morning. With a frustrated growl he rinsed away whatever soap was left on his body before turning the water off. He dried himself off while trying to push away those intrusive thoughts he hadn't asked for.

When he had calmed down and put on some fresh clothing, he made his way downstairs and greeted everyone with a quiet "Mornin'" before making himself a cup of coffee. Refilling Tifa's cup, Cloud gave her a peck on the cheek before heading towards the table. He sat next to Denzel, who gave the blond a small smile. The boy was sipping his juice and talking to Marlene about their friends, how they hoped they would be alright. When he turned to look at Yuffie, he noticed her studying him with a half awake stare. He frowned as he drank from his mug.

She lifted a brow. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," he said flatly as he put his drink down.

Yuffie looked unconvinced, and she took a long sip of her coffee. "We can leave after breakfast and get this crap over with. I hope Rufus isn't the type to sleep in."

Tifa came over with several plates. "I'm going to take a look around town and see where everything is while you two are gone." She left and came back with two final plates. "Maybe there's a school here..."

"We have to go to school? Even with an alien running around?" Denzel asked incredulously. Both he and Marlene preferred the homeschooling their guardians had provided before the schools were built.

Cloud and Tifa nodded. "If there's one up and running. If not I guess I'll have plenty of time to tutor you both, with the bar closed..." Tifa looked down before eating some eggs. Their lives had been upended so suddenly again, but at least they weren't in Edge. They would be fine...for now.

"Yuffie, slow down. Rufus isn't going anywhere," Cloud chided.

She scowled at him as she lowered her fork. "Like you have any room to talk about eatin' fast, you bottomless pit!"

"Only when he's been injured," Tifa quietly corrected.

Cloud scoffed, then took a slow sip of his coffee. "Take your time. I'm not eating any faster."

With a cheekful of fried potato and a fork pointed accusingly at her friend she said "you're going slower!"

"Dunno what you're talking about."

He took his time enjoying his meal. How many more of these would they have together? His farewells to Tifa and the children were equally savored, even if Yuffie was viciously tapping her foot as she stood by the front door.

Patting Yuffie's shoulder he took his leave. Cloud walked over to Fenrir and fished out his sunglasses; as his friend settled herself behind him, he adjusted them over his eyes. As Yuffie put her hands onto his shoulders he turned his motorcycle on, pulled up the kickstand, and drove off with a dust trail fogging the morning air.

They passed by pedestrians going about their business and a lone chocobo that was tied up to a simple stall left for travelers. The gate came and went, and they were out in the wild grasslands, filled with the scent of evaporating dew, wildflowers, and the faint spice of uncultivated herbs.

"I can't believe this crap is happening," Yuffie yelled out as they traveled to the east.

Cloud nodded while still looking ahead. "Was there any word on anything before you left yesterday?"

"They're doin' an analysis on what's inside that big hunk of space rock. There was some glowing thing on the floor of the center...er, room, of the meteorite."

"...Glowing thing?" he shouted in reply, his trepidation lost in the wind.

"Yeah. No idea what it is yet."

Cloud sighed and pressed on towards Healin Lodge. After a while longer he spoke up. "How are the civilians taking it?"

"How d'you think, Spike? Rumors are goin' around and they're starting to freak out." He felt Yuffie squeeze his shoulders before continuing. "There's a curfew for the Midgar-Edge area and Kalm. Suspicious activity is encouraged to be reported on, yadda yadda yadda."

"Right."

Soon enough they turned up into the cliffside road that lead to Healin Lodge, and further up as they reached the main building they were greeted by Reno and Rude. Cloud stopped in front of them and they both hopped off Fenrir. He looked at Yuffie and nodded. "I'll wait here." He wasn't in the mood to for a conversation with Rufus.

Yuffie rolled her eyes but quickly leaped up the stairs before the two Turks could stop her. Cloud leaned on his bike with his arms crossed, watching the two as they turned to face him. He quirked a brow.

"Supposed to check for weapons, yo," Reno explained.

Cloud scoffed as he put his sunglasses on top of his head. "Of course she has weapons on her. It's Yuffie."

Rude stiffened. "With whatever happened yesterday, it would be prudent to confiscate, even if she's with the WRO."

Reno nodded. "Yep. We'll let it slide just this once, though." The Turk gave an appraising look towards the spiky headed warrior. "Heard you and your girl were at ground zero." Cloud gave him an angry glare, and Reno waved his hands. "I wasn't gonna ask about that, yo. Just wanted to know what it looked like."

Cloud nodded; it wasn't an unreasonable request. He looked down and thought back to that night. "He was wearing blue, I think. Looked almost like you'd think a prince in one of those children's stories would look like, just a little stranger." Cloud shrugged, then looked up. "He had short brown hair and light eyes, too."

"No name?" Rude asked.

"Bartz."

Reno rubbed his chin as his other hand sat on his hip. "Huh. Funny name for an alien that might kill us all. Kinda prefer Jenova to that, yo."

"What difference does it make if it's gonna kill us all?" Rude asked with a frown.

Reno shrugged. "Just sayin', yo. Bartz sounds kinda vanilla."

Cloud snorted. It was a plain name for an alien, just like his name was kind of...fluffy, when he thought about it. Being named after fluffy white wisps in the sky didn't make him any less a hot head than he already was, nor no less dangerous an opponent.

 _Cloud pushed away a long, deadly katana in mid-air before landing behind Bartz. Sephiroth was going to do another cheap attack from above, and Cloud wasn't going to have it. Not again. He brought the Fusion Sword up, towards Sephiroth as he gracefully landed twenty feet away._

 _"Cloud, what the blazes-Wait, that is your name, right? Cloud? Like, puffs in the sky?"_

 _"So, you remember me. Then you know what's going on."_

 _"We're back here...again?!"_

"Helloooo, Planet to Cloud?" Reno waved his hand in front of Cloud's face, and he instinctively shook his head and brought a hand to his face. Another memory, so much clearer this time...

"Sorry...You were saying?" Cloud tried to hide his anxiety. He had completely lost himself again. Was this one because he was so close to the no-go area? But he had had an episode in the shower, too...

Reno raised a brow and adjusted the goggles on his forehead. "You just zoned out for a good minute there, buddy."

Cloud looked about, one eye covered by his gloved hand. He put it down and took a deep breath. "I...was thinkin' about my family," he lied. Internally he cringed at the weak cover up.

"Sure," Reno replied. "I guess Reeve booted you outta Edge for good reason," he casually remarked.

Cloud scowled. "I'm fine," he snapped back.

"Whatever you say, yo."

Before Cloud could retort, Yuffie came bounding down the stairs, leaping the last five down. "Alright, your boss knows what we know and has the maps and clearances if we need ya." She sat down on Fenrir after Cloud mounted the bike and turned the engine over. "Got my WRO number on there too in case anything weird is comin' our way."

The two Turks nodded. "Take care of yourselves out there, yo."

Cloud and Yuffie nodded a farewell before leaving the quiet resort, their return trip marked by silence; neither of them had anything to say to the other, but Cloud didn't mind. It gave him time to think in peace. Yes, that was Bartz that he had saved in his vision. But why was Sephiroth there? It made absolutely no sense.

He sneered into the wind. Did the alien think he could play with his memory so easily?

When they were almost to Walz they passed a chocobo rider in old traditional clothing, the person on the bird looking away as if to check the back end of his mount for something. The two couldn't help but stare, wondering if he was a woodsman from beyond the Mythril Mines. Maybe, Cloud thought, he was trying to find a way into the area west of them because he was worried about loved ones.

Then again, he looked very similar to the one he had passed the other day. A local to the Grasslands Area or Kalm, perhaps. Who ever he was, Cloud silently hoped the man could get his family. It was unbelievable, how one stupid alien could upend an entire planet.

When they reached the town, Cloud parked Fenrir by the house. The two decided to walk over to the bulletin board before doing anything else. Cloud glanced at a job offering a nice sum of gil to anyone willing to slay a stray Behemoth near the partially constructed port, and with a smirk he turned about and walked back home for his ride. He looked at Yuffie as she followed by his side. "Comin' or slayin'?"

She groaned at his horrible sense of humor. "Real funny, Spike." Yuffie looked at Fenrir as they turned the corner, and then looked back at Cloud with a hand near her mouth. "I think I've done enough ridin' for today. You have fun, now."

He nodded before sitting on his bike and heading out towards the north, hoping that a fight would help clear his mind. Still his thoughts would turn to those 'memories'. The alien had to be messing with his head somehow, even so far away and without a physical link. That was, if the tests were to be believed. Hopefully the alien trying to weasel itself into his mind would be found and exterminated soon.

* * *

Bartz finished several jobs delivering packages out to the farms that littered the area as well as taking out a large and troublesome Replicon, the strange bird monster reminding him of a partially bald chocobo with large clawed paws. Not sure what to take as proof he decided one of the claws would do well enough.

He looked the dead bird over several times, wondering if it would be any good to eat. Bartz decided against butchering the strange creature just in case, and would ask the butcher about it when he came back into town. Hopping onto the still skittish chocobo, he made his way back to Walz. He had only crossed paths with Cloud once today, and hopefully that would be all.

Bartz's mind wandered back to the warrior that saved his life on that strange world. He wondered if Cloud would come to his senses soon, or if the manhunt was still on. If it was, he was going to need to hurry up and get the rest of the gil for that gold chocobo so he could go off to some other place that was a bit safer.

He entered town and collected his reward from the bounty hunter, then given another creature to go after if he was up to it. He decided it would be best to do so tomorrow; it was getting late. As he left the small building, Bartz noticed two children looking over his chocobo, a young girl and a slightly older boy.

"I've never seen a chocobo up close before," the boy said.

"It's been a really long time since I did. Aren't they pretty?"

They looked up as Bartz approached, unsure of the strangely garbed young man. "You guys like chocobos, too, huh?" They nodded in silence. "I'm borrowing this one until she's easier to ride. Say, wanna give her some greens?"

Bartz took a few Gysahl Greens out of a small pack on the side of the chocobo and handed them to the children. After a moment of hesitation they took them, then one by one they fed the chocobo. It cocked its head and warked before gently plucking the greens from their hands, and they laughed as it finished eating with a tap of its beak.

"Can we pet her?" the girl asked. Bartz nodded; the chocobo had been skittish but not violent. The children tentatively touched the bird, then it leaned into their hands as they found a sweet spot on its neck.

The boy's grin grew as he rubbed the chocobo's chest, making it coo. "I wish they had these in Edge."

Bartz's eyes lit up. "You're from Edge?" That was where he fell, near there...

The boy nodded. "Yeah. We're stuck here until they find that alien runnin' around. We had to leave yesterday before the roadblocks went up."

"...They're blocking the roads?" he asked in surprise. All because of him?

The little girl spoke up. "They don't want it escaping. Mama said it could be like Sephiroth, so they gotta find it before it kills everyone," she said, doleful.

"S-Sephiroth? Like Sephiroth?" He looked around. He knew Sephiroth was dangerous, but how dangerous could he have been that they would block all access to an area?

The boy scratched his head, his messy, wavy brown hair grazing his blue eyes. He was about to speak up when a short young woman came up the street from a store, bags in her hands.

"Okay, guys! We got Tifa's stuff. Time to go home!" Bartz's face went numb. Tifa? No, it couldn't be the Tifa he knew. For all he knew, it was a common name. Besides, Cloud and Tifa looked too young to have children that were this old...right? Cloud was probably just here to search for him.

"Can we stay a little longer, please? We don't get to see chocobos back home!" the girl pouted as she kept a hand on the bird.

"Marlene, we gotta get home. I'm sure the chocobo will be here tomorrow." The young woman glanced at Bartz and looked him up and down with a frown.

"I'm a hunter," he said awkwardly, hands on his hips.

"Yeah, I see that." She looked back at the children. "Maybe Cloud can take ya to the Chocobo Farm tomorrow."

Bartz swallowed heavily and tried to keep himself composed. This was Cloud and Tifa's family. They were staying here, running from their homes in Edge, because of him. This is heavy.

The kids collectively moaned, then looked up at Bartz. The little girl put on a smile. "Thanks for letting us pet your chocobo, mister..."

He hoped he wasn't sweating too much. But it was warm as it was, he didn't look too suspicious, did he? No. But he had to get out of here. "Uh, Klauser."

They said their goodbyes and Bartz quickly headed off, nearly leaping onto his chocobo before escaping the town to make camp. He felt he needed to distance himself more from the town and took for higher ground in the rougher edges to the northeast, overlooking the town and road to the port. There were more trees here for firewood, but he would have to travel down the cliffs and plateaus for water.

Bartz set up his camp all the while fretting over the unintended consequences of his arrival. People were suffering as the WRO looked for him, because they thought he was something like Sephiroth. Now he knew why Cloud and Tifa were so hostile. Not only did they not remember him, but they thought he was extremely dangerous.

He took the chocobo down to the creek to drink, and he freshened himself up in the deeper parts of the warm water, hidden by a gangly bush. Bartz still kept an eye out for anyone or anything that could disturb him as he cleaned himself up.

Afterwards he made his way back to camp, watching with dread as that familiar black thing carrying Cloud zoomed towards town with what looked like a horn latched to the back. Bartz was far away, but noticed Cloud's head turn towards the cliffs as he sped by, watching him. He walked off as quickly as he could, hoping against hope that his friend's curiosity would not get the better of him. Not until he came up with a plan.

* * *

Cloud came home after dropping off the Behemoth horn at the port authority office and taking his reward. The long search for the Behemoth and short fight afterwards had taken his mind off the pressing matter of the alien for a time, and he appreciated the reprieve.

As he looked his dark shirt over for any trace of gore or too much sweat, he overheard the children at the kitchen table, talking about chocobos. Cloud supposed he looked fine enough to chat a bit before he cleaned up. "Hey, guys."

They looked over and waved at him, and he sat across from them. He stole a few pieces of carrot off their snack plate and began to eat the discs while Denzel looked at him with a big grin on his face. "We got to see a chocobo today!"

"Yeah! Cloud, could you take us to the Chocobo Farm tomorrow?" Marlene asked. "Please?"

"Maybe. I'll talk it over with Tifa." He looked over his shoulder and into the kitchen a moment; Yuffie and Tifa were talking about the town. He turned back. "What kinda chocobo was it?"

"It was yellow, and Mr. Klauser let us feed it and pet it," Marlene said.

He swallowed the last of the carrot he had eaten. "...Mr. Klauser?"

Denzel nodded. "He was dressed kinda funny, but he was really nice."

Cloud looked down at the table. "Klauser..." The name was familiar, scratching the surface of his memories. Still studying the scratches on the wood he asked, "what did he look like?"

"He was dressed in this light green outfit, with a brown vest and a cap on his head," Denzel replied.

Marlene nodded. "I've never seen someone with eyes like that, either."

Cloud looked up and stared at her. "Eyes like what?"

She thought a moment. "Kinda...clear, but not really?"

"Silver?" Denzel offered.

"Gray! And he had brown hair," Marlene said smugly. "Maybe we'll see him tomorrow!"

Cloud gawked at them both, then promptly shut his slack jaw and looked towards the window. Could Bartz have escaped here? No...This wouldn't be an ideal place for an alien. But those visions were becoming stronger. Before they could ask him anything, he excused himself to use the shower.

The blond courier stripped off his clothing and turned the shower on. There was no way Bartz was nearby, it had to have found itself back in Edge, or in Kalm. Some place the WRO could eventually find it, where there were lots of people to get lost in. It was just a coincidence.

He thought back to this afternoon as he watched that peculiar man up on the cliffs near the road. He had a chocobo with him. Klauser...Cloud had heard that name before. He stood under the shower head, deep in thought as water pelted his scalp.

 _"I'm Bartz Klauser. Don't know much more than that, though."_

 _"I'm Cloud Strife. Guess we're both on the same boat."_

 _"Haha, I guess so. Hey, good luck finding your crystal!"_

 _"You too."_

What a strange place. Why did Bartz even start talking to him, anyway? Cloud shook his head and widened his eyes. Bartz Klauser. That was his name, and he was right outside the town! He shut off the water and stared at his feet. Taking deep breaths to calm himself while running his hands through his hair, he wondered if he should tell Tifa and Yuffie about it. Cloud chewed on his bottom lip. He began to dry himself off quickly, tensely, then paced about the small bathroom for a good five minutes. Cloud finally leaned on the wall and rubbed his face with his hands.

No. Not yet, he decided.

Plopping down on the toilet seat he put his hands on his towel-wrapped legs, still taking deep, controlled breaths. The blond knew he should say something. Maybe Tifa would remember the name, too, and then what? One of his hands gripped his hair as it slowly stood back up on his scalp.

If either of them said anything, there was a chance Reeve might have to take them into protective custody. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Cloud knew his friend would only do something like that if he absolutely had to, but the blond was unsure if Reeve would consider this situation such a time. A harsh sigh left his lips. What if he just went up there, and killed the alien?

But those 'memories' were so real...He needed to talk with Bartz. Yes, just talk, not kill. _Not yet..._

Cloud looked towards the door and heard the children talking to themselves as they went into their shared bedroom. They would have to go in for testing now, too. He stood up and began to get dressed with a grimace on his face. _What's happening to me?_


	5. Trust and Distrust

**A/N: Here is Chapters 5 through 9 revised! I want to thank SSD from AO3, Marle_Nadia, and Irish-Brigid for their betas of this very much! I recommending checking their stories out as well, and give them a kudos/fav if you can!**

* * *

Cloud woke up in the middle of the night to Tifa softly snoring next to him. The children's even breathing greeted his ears from the other side of the room. He had another dream again, but it was different. He was walking next to Sephiroth, and he had said something to Cloud, but he couldn't remember what. There was an insane clown laughing and talking about destruction, and some big, menacing blue man that schemed with Sephiroth here and there. The whole time Cloud wondered what he had done to be partnered with people like this.

He looked over at Tifa. She had divulged a memory that had come to mind earlier in the day, of that man named Kain that she had thought of before. She was sure she had seen Bartz, too. Her eyes had been full of wary concern, unsure what was real. Cloud had mused that she finally had a small taste of what he had gone through, but he wished it wasn't so. It was pure mental torture.

And he couldn't take it anymore.

As quietly as he could, he left the bed and dressed himself. None of the other three stirred in the darkness of the room. Cloud sneaked down the stairs, all the while listening for anyone rustling around upstairs before collecting his hoodie off the hanger. Cloud let out a sigh of relief as he silently closed the door to the house, then went to Fenrir.

He popped the side compartments and took out two of his swords, just in case. When he got back home, he could make up the excuse that he went for a walk, or went after monsters because he couldn't sleep. Well, it was mostly the truth, he decided with a small pain in his heart. Before he could change his mind, he took off towards the area he had seen Bartz at after putting up his hood. If it, or he, hadn't fled again, that was.

Not wanting the night guards to see him he walked towards the wall, then leapt to balance on the top with ease. Cloud looked about the area for any monsters or men that could trouble him, and finding none he dropped to the earth. Landing on his feet he continued his journey in the twilight of the stars, the moon already set.

Without Fenrir, it took him nearly half an hour to get to the familiar cliffs, and he traveled up them with as much stealth as he could. He didn't want Bartz to escape again if he was awake. Looking about as he reached the top of the terrace, he spotted wisps of smoke to the west, and he walked towards it with anxious steps. His quarry wasn't far.

Coming upon a campsite, he crouched down and watched for movement, his mako vision painting everything in shades of black and green. He noticed a chocobo sleeping next to a lone tree. Cloud heard snoring from the nearby tent and he snuck towards the opening. Bartz was there, sound asleep. Cloud observed him, all the while unsure of what to do next.

If he simply killed him it would all be over, like nothing happened. The Planet would return to whatever normal was now, and maybe the WRO would get some new technology from whatever was in that meteorite Bartz fell in on. But it wouldn't go away, the what-ifs, the doubts. Cloud could admit he had been ruled by fear and paranoia the instant he heard about what had happened that night, but his reasoning faculties were starting to take over again. Or at least he hoped that was what it was. For all he knew he was trapped in an illusion of control. _Maybe I'm still in Edge, killing and..._

Completely lost in thought, he didn't notice right away when Bartz woke up; the alien gasped then shouted as he backed himself further into the tent as glowing blue dots stared at him intensely in the dark. In his haste he knocked down a support rod and the tent fell on top of him, earning a yelp of surprise from both men and a wark from the startled chocobo.

"W-what the!" Bartz was trying to clamber out of the fabric in a panic, his head finally popping out of the opening. Cloud studied him from several feet away in a crouch, noticing the wide eyes and quick breaths of the alien as he watched him in the darkness. Bartz couldn't make him out, Cloud realized as the alien made a motion with his hand.

"Sorry."

Bartz's eyes grew wider and his hand froze. "C-Cloud?"

"...Yeah, it's me," he said simply. He was still trying to calm his nerves with this potential danger in front of him. This...thing that could assimilate all life on the Planet, perhaps. Cloud shook his head and stood up; nothing like that had even begun to happen. There was a chance for peace.

"Man, you shouldn't stare at people when they're sleeping, it's creepy!" Bartz stood up from the tent pile. He scratched at his forearm nervously. "You're here to fight me, right?" The question was dripping with groggy wariness.

Cloud hesitantly shook his head. "...No." He looked away and sighed heavily. His hands were shaking and he was glad Bartz couldn't see it. Or hoped he couldn't. "I came here to talk," he croaked.

Bartz shifted about on his feet, uncertain. "That's all...?"

Cloud looked back and nodded slowly. "That's all." His eyes warily watched Bartz. He hoped he wouldn't do another disappearing trick like the night before, especially with this olive branch being offered to him.

Bartz put a hand to his hip and chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking. "...Okay. Uh, just give me a minute, alright?" He walked out of his collapsed tent, cautiously approaching his chocobo and calming the nervous bird down. "It's okay, girl."

Cloud kept his eyes on Bartz as he took some wood from a pile and rekindled the campfire. The alien fussed with his flint, little sparks flickering here and there. Cloud wondered why Bartz wasn't using magic, then it hit him: he was trying not to agitate him further. Or maybe lull him into thinking he was less of a danger that he really was, Cloud wasn't sure.

After a few minutes, he had a small fire going and both men sat on opposite sides, studying the other in the dancing orange light. Cloud had so many questions, but he just needed a few answered immediately. He didn't have all morning.

Bartz looked like he hadn't slept well, his eyes beginning to form dark circles underneath them and his body tense. He looked like he was ready for Cloud to leap over the fire and strangle him, and a part of Cloud was ready to. Or dice him into tiny pieces with his swords.

Cloud strummed his fingers on a knee as he sat cross legged on the dirt, and he sucked in a breath. "You said you were here because you don't like to stay in one place for too long." Saying that out loud flared his anxiety.

Bartz nodded. "Yeah. I like to travel. Explore different places." He slowly wrung his hands in his lap. "It got a little boring on my world, after seeing everything over and over again."

"And that's why you came here?"

"Well, yeah. I didn't know I was gonna come here, though." Bartz sighed, then looked away. "I'm not here to hurt anyone."

Cloud said nothing back. He nervously studied Bartz, waiting for him to continue on.

"I...talked to your kids yesterday," he confessed. Cloud stiffened despite knowing all too well they had contact with him, but he continued to keep quiet. "You're worried I'm like Sephiroth, right?" Bartz looked back, his brows knitted together. "I know Sephiroth was a bad guy, but how bad was he that you'd hold people hostages in their own homes?" His hand motioned towards the west.

Cloud flexed his grip on his knees, tongue pressed against the roof of his dry mouth. "I...Where did you meet Sephiroth?" he demanded.

"In that other place we got dragged into." Bartz pointed at Cloud. "You were on his side once, too. Don't you remember?"

Cloud glowered at him, and Bartz shrunk back as those threatening blue eyes narrowed. Yes, he had had 'memories' of this. "If I find out you're messin' with my head..."

Bartz waved his hands. "I think this would be a bad time to play a prank, Cloud!"

"A prank..." Cloud rubbed his face. "You don't know what Sephiroth is capable of. Do you?"

Bartz shook his head. "I-I mean I've seen him fight. But he wasn't invincible or anything."

"I guess if you're like him...or like _her_ , you already know this. But..." Cloud took a deep breath. Was he really going to do this? Yes, he was. Bartz had yet to make a smart move, like take him over when he had the chance. It was looking less and less like Bartz was the same as Jenova. "Sephiroth...used to be the greatest warrior the Planet had ever seen. His power was unreal. One day, he found out his origins, and he went mad.

"He...killed a lot of people. Went looking for Jenova, too. Thought that alien was his mother." Cloud tightened his jaw as a few still raw memories raced through his head. Then he continued. "Anyway, Jenova is a shapeshifting alien that crash landed on the Planet two thousand years ago. It infected animals and humans with its cells, turning them into monsters.

"Sephiroth wasn't her son, but he had been injected with her cells in the womb. Some of what Jenova can do, he can do, too." The courier shrugged. "So, now you know."

Cloud watched as Bartz reacted with revulsion to the explanation before becoming resigned. "...Jenova came from the sky, like I did." Bartz looked down. "You think I'm like _that_ thing."

"I'm worried you are. I'm hoping you aren't," Cloud clarified.

Bartz ran a hand through his hair, and he stared into the fire. "What do I do? I really didn't mean to cause all of this havoc. I just wanted to see new places."

Cloud's eyes softened. He was still very wary but he couldn't explain away what he knew of the situation. Bartz had had ample time to devastate Edge and Kalm, or Walz for that matter. He had a chance to infect him at their first meeting if he were capable of it, and it would have been more prudent to do so at the first opportunity, than to play with his mind.

Wouldn't it have been? This wasn't Sephiroth in front of him...

Cloud stood up and dusted himself off. "I'll think it over. But you better be here tonight to talk again, or the next time we meet my sword won't miss."

"...Gotcha."

He glanced at the chocobo, then back at Bartz with a raised brow. Well, that was another mystery. "How'd you get the chocobo?"

Bartz broke his eye contact with the fire and looked up at Cloud. "Chocobo Bill let me borrow her. I'm trying to save up for a gold chocobo." He stood up. "Or I _was_ trying to save up. I don't know what's gonna happen now."

Cloud realized now that he had been seeing Bartz as he did random jobs in the area. "Look, just do what you were doing if you aren't gonna cause trouble. I'll be back in the late afternoon, and we can talk some more."

Bartz nodded. "Is there a way I can prove I'm not like that, though?"

Cloud slowly nodded before turning away. "...They'll...probably do tests, like they did to me after you touched my shoulder." _Hopefully just that._ He looked back over his shoulder, a single blue eye watching this maybe-friend. "Remember. Try and escape, and I _will_ find and kill you."

Before Bartz could ask what sort of tests he was talking about, the warrior walked away as the eastern sky began to lighten with a red blush.

* * *

"He couldn't have gone far," Yuffie said before taking another sip of her coffee. "Not without Fenrir."

Tifa wore a worried frown as she fussed with breakfast preparations; she was really getting nothing done, she was trying to stay hopeful. The children were still asleep and she had awoken earlier to find Cloud gone from the house and Yuffie stewing on the couch with an upset expression on her face. "Did you see where he was going?"

Yuffie shrugged as she placed her hands on the table. "He leaped over the wall. I climbed it, but I only saw which way he was goin'. It was too dark to follow him." She looked over at Tifa with a hard stare. "You think he finally went nuts?" Yuffie had already told Tifa what Reno had told her during an afternoon call. Cloud had completely checked out for a full minute while she was delivering papers to Rufus, according to the sly Turk.

Tifa tensed at the thought. She wanted to think that he just went for a walk around town when she had realized he wasn't in the bathroom, or when she found out the scent of coffee from downstairs was because of Yuffie. But what if he finally snapped? What if Cloud was making his way to his new master? Was she next? "I don't know, Yuffie." She blinked in rapid succession. "I...maybe we should go looking for him."

Yuffie tapped the fingers of one hand on the table. "If he's not back soon, we can call in the WRO."

The brunette sucked in a breath, then nodded. "That might be best—"

The front door opened and the sound of heavy boots on the wood floor made both women snap their heads towards the kitchen entrance. Tifa shot into the dining room and looked at Cloud as he stood in the entryway, staring back with a slight blush on his cheeks. "Mornin'," he greeted quietly. There was dew soaking his pants up to his knees.

"Cloud!" Dread pooled in Tifa's heart.

"Where did you go?" Yuffie demanded in an annoyed voice.

Cloud glanced at the door and then back at Tifa and Yuffie. "I just went for a walk. Couldn't sleep."

Tifa felt sick to her stomach, but nodded regardless. "Tell me the next time you go wandering off into the night, Cloud. I was worried." She was more than worried now.

He blushed harder, looking like a child that had been scolded. "Sorry, Teef."

"Sorry?!" Yuffie put her hands on her hips. "There's an alien runnin' around, and you're _sorry_ you ran off into the night like there's only normal monsters out there?!"

Cloud gave the ninja a withering, if nervous, look. "I-It's not here, either, so _can_ it." He disappeared up the stairs without another word.

Yuffie looked back at Tifa and pointed upward. "I'll watch him. You just keep actin' like nothin's wrong, okay?" she whispered into her friend's ear.

Tifa nodded, the most conflicted look on her face. _What was going to happen to Cloud?_ Yuffie gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before making her way upstairs. Her anxiety lessened with Yuffie's silent reassurance, Tifa returned as much attention as she could towards breakfast, trying her best to control her breathing. Cloud was up to something, and under the circumstances it probably wasn't good.

Breakfast was an awkward and quiet affair between the adults until the children began talking about the Chocobo Farm. Cloud looked at Tifa as the children asked again to go. "Are you alright with it?"

She huffed through her nose. There were still things to prepare in case anyone else swung by, and leaving him alone with the children under the circumstances legitimately scared her. "I don't know..."

"I'll go, too. Been meanin' to look at what breeds they got for sale," Yuffie said; it was obvious the ninja had caught wind of what was on her mind.

Tifa relaxed a little, but noticed Cloud visibly stiffen. He nodded nonetheless before returning to his plate. With the children placated, they quickly finished their breakfast, then got ready to go as Yuffie and Cloud argued over who should drive the truck. In the end they decided to take turns, Yuffie going first. Cloud laid down on the truck's bed, splayed out with a hand over his abdomen. Denzel joined him in the back, resting on Cloud's shoulder as they watched the clouds above them.

The truck rumbled to life, and soon they were moving. Denzel shuffled about a little. "Do you like chocobos, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded. "I used to breed 'em, years ago."

Denzel looked at Cloud as they went over a bump. "Really?"

Cloud grinned as he turned his head to look back at Denzel. "Yeah. Raced them a few times, too."

"What's the best chocobo?"

"Gold chocobos. They can go anywhere."

They soon reached the Chocobo Farm, and as soon as they left the truck the children charged towards the fence, oogling the chocobos. As Cloud watched them near the vehicle he smiled, that was until Yuffie took him aside, her eyes narrowing at him.

"What are you up to?"

Cloud's face turned stony. "Nothing. I just couldn't sleep last night."

She sighed. "Spike, with everything that's been happening it's not a really good idea to just suddenly leave when we're all asleep."

A limp shrug lifted his shoulders momentarily. "Sorry."

Yuffie stomped her foot and wagged a finger at him. "Just don't do it again, I don't wanna have to put you on a leash." He rolled his eyes at her before he turned to join the children, and Yuffie went into the barn to look over the available chocobos. Out of his mind or not, the kids would keep him from wandering. For now, at least. She hoped.

Of course she didn't trust him under the circumstances, and neither did Tifa. Sure, Tifa had a few murky thoughts of the alien, but she hadn't been pumped full of Jenova cells like Cloud. Yuffie finished looking over a black chocobo as Cloud and the children came in to look at the birds and talk to Chocobo Bill, the man an acquaintance of everyone in Avalanche after Cloud spent time on the farm.

She overheard something as she pretended to study a river chocobo near them. "Yeh, had a kid come by the other day lookin' at this one here." Yuffie quickly looked to see Chocobo Bill pointing at a gold chocobo as it stood in its stall. "Dunno where he's from, dressed kinda strange. But y'know, that Valentine feller dresses pretty strange too."

Cloud sniffled. He had his hands on his hips. "Might be from the other continent. So hey, my kids wanted to take a look at a chocobo..."

 _Liar._

As the two men let Denzel and Marlene sit on top of a chocobo, Yuffie's phone went off. She cursed to herself and left the barn, leaning on the side of the wooden building. It was Reeve. "Everything good over there?"

 _"Not really,"_ he said, his voice tired and riddled with anxiety. _"That meteorite is having an adverse effect on the local monsters."_

She frowned at the grass by her feet. "What do you mean?"

Reeve sighed. _"They're beginning to congregate around it for some reason. It's become difficult to defend at this point, but we aren't done studying it at all...One thing leads to another and we're left with more questions without answers."_

Yuffie swallowed. "I see."

 _"How is Cloud holding up?"_

The ninja took a quick peek into the barn. Cloud was taking some pictures with the children. It looked oh so normal and happy. She leaned back onto the barn and sighed heavily. "He left the house in the middle of the night then came back before breakfast. Like, he left the town for several hours. He's kinda defensive about it."

 _"Where is he now?"_ Reeve asked, the wariness in his voice apparent.

"We're at the Chocobo Farm. He's with the kids."

 _"Good, good...Try and make sure to keep track of him."_

Yuffie shrugged to herself. "He does jobs around the area, too. He's gonna get pissed if I shadow him everywhere he went."

Reeve paused a moment. _"It may lead to an issue of trust, but just try and keep tabs on him. He should understand better than most."_

"Yeah yeah. Just keep me up to date with the monsters, Reeve."

" _Of course."_ A small grunt came to her ear. _"I have a meeting to go to now, but if anything comes up let me know."_

"You got it." She hung up after their goodbyes, and leaned her head back onto the wood of the barn. There always had to be complications. First she had to babysit Cloud like he was a potential world ender, now there were monsters interested in a space rock.

Maybe it was all connected, she thought. Maybe the monsters were a distraction so the alien could roam unchecked. So it could come here, where its puppet ran off to. Did Cloud get a mental signal to visit it, would he try and take Tifa next? She shuddered when images of those green cat eyes that used to grace Cloud's face on occasion ran through her head.

As she continued to mull things in her head, Cloud exited while holding Marlene and Denzel's hands. They each had a chocobo feather, one blue and another green. Cloud had a smile on his face, but it faded as he looked towards Yuffie. "Everything alright?"

That gentle tone cut into her chest. After everything that they had gone through together, she thought of the troublesome delivery boy as a big brother. Under the circumstances, however, she was going to have to stow away her feelings. "Yeah. Just my stomach's acting up thinkin' about how you're gonna drive that truck home."

He snorted and smiled again. "You can drive if you want. I was gonna take a few jobs on Fenrir after lunch."

Yuffie pursed her lips as Cloud walked towards the truck, and trailing behind him she knew she was going to have to use all the ninja skills she had learned to watch over him without him knowing it.


	6. In Which Bartz Explains Himself

Bartz paced about his campsite, waiting for Cloud to show up. All morning he had been wondering what would happen; would Cloud grill him some more? Probably. Would he come with the WRO, ready to arrest him or exterminate him? A hum came from his lips. Probably not. He knew Cloud well enough that while he knew he would fight dirty, he wasn't one to play dirty tricks.

The sun was slowly making its way west and the scent of rain was coming from the northwest; he assumed a storm front was on its way to the area and he was going to have to find a way to shelter both he and the chocobo. Well, that was something he could do. Even though Cloud had said he didn't mind him doing jobs around the area, all Bartz could really do was hunt a squirrel, eat, and mull over everything.

He couldn't stop thinking about last night. This planet had been through a lot, just like his had. But the troubles with Exdeath were relatively straightforward despite his terrible power. Both could snuff out existence for countless others, but there was an element of paranoia when one's family members could be part of a thing that assimilates living creatures. He couldn't blame them for their fear.

His light blue garb caught a rain scented breeze, giving temporary relief from the humidity of the region. He thought he heard thunder, but the sound cut off suddenly from the east. Bartz swallowed; it was probably that thing Cloud rode about. He really needed to ask about it, he thought.

There was a lot he had to ask about, but he never did question the locals in case that brought further suspicions. They had lights with no fire, and things that moved around on wheels. The old man had called his a "truck". Were they all trucks? The market he had been to floored him, with glass doors holding back cold air that held shelves with milk and other perishables. Did they use magic for such creative purposes?

Another threatening breeze blew by, and Bartz decided it would be best to collect some firewood. He would need some he could keep dry before the storm hit, then he would try his best to shelter he and the chocobo under the tent if he used it as a tarp against the tree at his campsite. There were a few tree groves nearby, and he walked towards them.

There were still plenty of dead, dry branches to be had. He hadn't cleaned up the first grove yesterday, but the area hadn't been bothered by travelers in a long time by Bartz's reckoning. He wondered if Cloud was marching his way up the path right now. With his arms full of firewood, he made his way back to his camp.

When Bartz neared, he could see a lone figure standing near his tent. As he came closer, he made out his friend from the other world. Cloud was there and his back was turned to him. His arms were crossed and a familiar, giant sword was draped across his back. Bartz cleared his throat and Cloud snapped his head back, his eyes lighting up as he turned towards him. "I was worried I was gonna have to find you."

Bartz instinctively knew that he was politely saying he thought he was going to have to search for him and then kill him. He cautiously approached and put his bundle down near the firepit. "Just trying to keep busy."

"I see." Cloud unsheathed his weapon, making Bartz back away. A moment later he laid it down next to him as he sat down by the cold fire pit. "Hard to sit down with this on my back," he explained in a deadpan voice.

Bartz let himself nervously chuckle. "Right." He sat down opposite him, his hands gripping his knees as he leaned back. "So, I guess it's time for more questions." He noticed Cloud's eyes weren't quite as hard as they had been last night. They were still worry filled.

Cloud nodded. "I still don't know about these memories...if they're memories, that is." He rubbed his forehead. "I still don't know if it's you doing it to me."

"How?"

Cloud looked uncomfortable, but Bartz continued to give him a confused stare; he had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to enter Cloud's brain and manipulate his memories. "I..." Cloud sighed heavily, tapping the ground with his fingers. "I was injected with Jenova cells. So if you're like her, you could..." He trailed off with an uncomfortable expression marring his face.

Bartz's eyes widened and his jaw went slack. "And you're worried about me?" The remark seemed to have stung the warrior and Bartz held the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, sorry."

"It's why I'm here and not in Edge, looking for you." He let out a short, humorless chuckle. "And to think you were here, this close to my family. I think I would have gone insane looking for you and finding nothing."

"Maybe it's a good thing you found me here. I mean, when I found out what was happening I knew I was going to have to find you or Tifa," Bartz replied. "...I couldn't run from that."

"Hm. You know Tifa from that other world too, right?" Cloud put an elbow on his knee and rested his chin on his hand.

Bartz nodded. "Yeah. She isn't infected with Jenova cells too, right?"

"No."

"Does she remember anything?" Bartz asked. Cloud nodded slowly, and his companion frowned. "Wouldn't that convince you I'm not doing anything to your head?"

Cloud shook his head. "Could still be manipulating her."

Bartz groaned. "How? Man, this alien stuff is heavy. Couldn't I just make you do stuff? Having you hover over me while I sleep isn't really productive towards an invasion or whatever, y'know," he countered with a finger pointed at Cloud. The thought still creeped him out a bit. How long had Cloud been crouched over him, staring at him in the dark with those uncanny blue eyes?

Cloud's eyes darted about, and his face was beginning to turn a little red. "I-I guess so...I just can't..."

"You _know_ I'm not a threat, don't you?" Bartz lifted a knowing brow.

The blond warrior shrugged, his eyes filled with a childlike uncertainty. "I don't know."

"Well, you came here last night, and nothing weird happened. You even threatened to kill me." Bartz scratched the side of his head, feeling a bit more at ease as his argument became stronger. "What have I done that's suspicious, besides show up in a meteor?"

"Uh..." Cloud looked down at the dirt in front of him and let out a wary sigh. "I know. It's just so..."

"Hm...How about I show you some things from my world? Would that make you feel better?"

After a few moments, Cloud nodded. "Maybe."

Bartz stood and gave two thumbs up before he went to his tent to fetch his travel bag. He sat down next to Cloud, but gave him enough space so he wouldn't feel too uncomfortable. Bartz pulled out his map and unfolded it. "This is where I'm from."

Cloud took the canvas carefully in both hands, looking it over. "Castles, villages and towns..."

"Yeah, like here's my hometown, Lix. It's pretty isolated from the rest of the world." He pointed at another part of the map. "This is the Pirate Cove. My friend Faris is a pirate captain, and sometimes she invites me over when they get a good plunder haul."

"Friends with a pirate, huh?" Cloud pointed at another part of the map, engrossed in the different places he'd never seen before. "What about here?"

"Tycoon Castle! My friend Lenna is queen of the Tycoon Kingdom." Bartz had a nostalgic smile on his face. He wouldn't have minded them being here with him.

Cloud looked at him and raised a brow. "A friend of royalty and pirates?"

Bartz rubbed the back of his head. "It's complicated."

Cloud's eyes went back to the map. "It always is," he said quietly. Bartz thought he may have been being scathingly skeptical at first, but the words seemed to hold a sincerity to them. He studied it some more, being pointed to places of interest here and there. "So how did you get from here—" Cloud pointed at the map, "—to there?" He pointed in the general direction of Edge.

"Well, It's a long story. The first thing that happened was..." He bit his lip. "See, there's crystals on my planet, and they're like...pillars, for creation. Earth, wind, fire, and water. Each one helps make the world go 'round."

"Magic crystals?"

Bartz nodded. "So my friends and I guard them, but there really haven't been any threats to them in several years. But last year, the crystals shedded a few small shards for whatever reason." He rummaged through his bag and took out one of his six crystals. Cloud cocked his head, examining the clear, palm sized shard. "We tried finding out if something was wrong with them, but we couldn't find out anything. The crystals were quiet, too. So we divided them up for safe keeping."

Cloud tentatively touched one with a gloved finger. "So this took you here on a meteor?"

"Not exactly." He looked down at the crystal and rubbed it with his thumb. "They started whispering to me during the night, after I made my camps. I was getting pretty bored of the same places all over again, and they guided me to a place on my world with one of those meteorites."

"And you went, just like that? What about your friends?"

Bartz shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I can get back with the help of my crystals. There's a portal in there that'll lead me back and forth, if I heard the crystals right." He looked back at Cloud, who was holding a concerned look. "There's only four of us chosen to wield the crystals' powers, don't worry."

Cloud looked down at the crystal Bartz held again. "Why would it bring you here..." he murmured.

Bartz shrugged. "Maybe they have a horrible sense of humor."

To his surprise, Cloud snickered. "That might be it." He folded the map up carefully before returning it to Bartz. "Is that how you made a replica of my sword?"

"I mimicked it," was the simple reply.

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "You...mimicked it."

"Uh, yeah." He cleared his throat. "As one of the persons able to wield the power of the crystals, they give us special abilities from the heroes of the past." He rubbed the back of his head. "I guess that sounds silly."

Cloud shrugged, the tension in his shoulders lessening. "Is that how you got away, too?"

"That was Time magic." Bartz quickly explained how they worked and what was available to him. "I've mastered them all years ago, but when I use these crystals, it just amplifies the power."

"I see. So which do you have?"

Bartz took six crystals out of his large pouch and placed them on the ground in front of them both. "I took Hunter, which you've probably seen me use, Gladiator, Dragoon, Knight, Samurai, and um...Dancer," he mumbled the last one.

"Dancer? It lets you...dance?" Cloud asked, his brows together in mild confusion.

Bartz took the crystal and stood up, then moved back a few paces. He closed his eyes as his cheeks grew pink before focusing on the crystal, and soon he was enveloped in a light yellow light. A moment later and he was wearing a red shirt with a large popped collar, a green sash on his waist, and black pants. Cloud was looking him up and down like he had grown horns out of his head. "Dancer."

"It changes your clothing..." Cloud put his hand to his chin, obviously deep in thought as he looked down and stroked the side of his jaw with a finger.

"More than that, but I guess this is the most noticeable change." He released the magic, fading back to his usual outfit.

Cloud sighed as he rubbed his face. "Alright, so you're an explorer by nature, and you hitched a ride on a magic meteor because those crystals—" He gestured towards the bag, "—guided you to it. You're something called a 'Warrior of Light' on your world, and you might have a way back home through that portal you said is in your meteorite." Bartz nodded and Cloud continued. "So it's an anchor between both our worlds now."

Bartz cocked his head, then nodded a few times as the realization came to mind. "Yeah, I guess so."

Cloud groaned. "I swear by Gaia, if anything comes out of there..."

"Nothing should. They'd have to have crystals."

"Okay." Cloud looked pained, his face a mask and his eyes swirling with emotions. Bartz understood he was trying to make a proper decision, one that dealt with what to do with him. "...If we go to the WRO, they're probably going to run a lot of tests on you."

"Like what?"

"Analyze your blood, hold you for observation. CAT scans, X-rays. Who knows what else." Cloud shuddered.

Bartz took that as a bad sign and swallowed hard. He didn't know what a CAT scan or an X-ray were, and if they had Cloud spooked they probably weren't nice. "I guess they're gonna poke and prod me?"

"Me too, after it's all said and done. I'm not having you go up to them alone, anyway." He stood up and dusted off his pants. "I know the leader of the WRO, so...maybe I can arrange this peacefully." Thunder rumbled in the distance, and both warriors looked towards the west. The skies grew dark behind the mountains, and Bartz groaned.

"I gotta get ready for this storm." He started dismantling his tent. "I gotta keep the chocobo from gettin' soaked, so I'm gonna tie this up to that tree branch—"

"Why not use the inn?"

Bartz paused and looked up at Cloud. "I...well I was trying to avoid you. I thought you were staying at the inn."

Cloud shook his head. "I'm using a house here." He motioned with his head towards the town. "They got hot showers. Gotta be better than using a creek." He started assisting with the camp disassembly.

Bartz brought his brows together. "What's a hot shower?"

"...You don't know what a shower is?" Bartz shook his head and Cloud looked down with a confused look. "It's...sort of like a bath, but the water runs over you from above and down a drain." He looked back up. "You don't have those where you're from?"

Bartz shrugged as he took the tent bundle and strapped it to the chocobo. "There's a lot of things we don't have that you seem to. Like that black thing you ride on."

"Fenrir?"

"Fenrir? It's not called a truck?"

Bartz swore Cloud had the ghost of a smile on his face. "A truck is a type of vehicle. Fenrir is the name of my motorcycle. I use it to travel the Planet."

Bartz sat on the chocobo after activating his Hunter crystal and strode up to Cloud. "A vehicle...you like to travel, too?"

"Yeah. I've been everywhere."

Bartz finally had a good look at Fenrir, the machine catching his fancy; it was obvious to him that the motorcycle was a point of pride to Cloud. They got to town as the first drops of rain started to hit the dust of Walz's roads, and Cloud showed him the amenities of his room.

"This is a lightswitch," Cloud began, "It turns the lights on and off. This is a TV, it shows images...maybe I'll explain how later." He ushered Bartz into the bathroom. "That's a shower, and those knobs let you adjust the temperature of the water."

"Neat." Bartz was looking about in wonderment. Lenna and Krile's castles had nothing on this.

"And this is a toilet."

"We have something like that," Bartz replied.

Cloud raised a brow. "You mean an outhouse?" He was replied to with a nod and Cloud chuckled before pushing a small lever. "Use that when you're done."

Bartz stared at the swirling water in the ceramic bowl. "This place is so different."

"Yeah. Hey, just lay low for now. I'll see what I can do with the WRO." He looked Bartz up and down. "Maybe get some new clothing, too."

Bartz looked down at his outfit, then looked at Cloud's. He had to fit in for a little bit. "Right."

"Well, I better get going." Cloud walked towards the door.

"Cloud, uh..."

The blond haired warrior turned around. "Hm?"

"You really don't remember the other world?" Bartz was giving him a searching look with his light grey eyes. "I mean, we weren't super close there, but I mean...you came looking for me there."

"Just like here, huh?" Cloud was quiet for a few moments, his body slightly tense and his eyes unsure. "I...I get visions. Dreams. Maybe time will clear everything up."

Bartz stood there in silence, then nodded. "I hope it does."

"Me too."

* * *

Cloud looked at the sky from the covered porch of the inn. So far, so good. Bartz was looking less and less an actual threat to the Planet and more like a strange, peaceful traveler from a faraway world. Not all aliens had to be like Jenova, he reasoned.

Still, his heart was lodged in his throat, but he felt he made the right decision when he considered everything. Bartz was completely clueless to advanced technology and had ample time to make a move to assimilate everyone. He certainly wasn't some evil mastermind to defeat.

Quickly, Cloud sat himself on Fenrir and began to make his way home. The rain started coming down in sheets and the wind whipped his face. He was soaked in no time, but he was barely paying attention to that: another memory had come to him as Bartz stood in his Dancer outfit; he had seen that before, in that other world where they had supposedly met.

He had so many questions about that, but he decided they had spoken enough for one day. Maybe if he hadn't felt like Yuffie was getting too suspicious as it was with his walk last night, he would have stayed at the inn and spoken some more. But at the moment he just had to find a way to get Reeve to agree to a peaceful surrender so Bartz could prove he had no ill intent here.

Cloud doubted it would be that difficult. Reeve was a reasonable man, but then again, would he believe him under the circumstances? He said he would go with Bartz, and he meant it. He would be collateral. He hated scientists as a general rule (with a few exceptions), and he detested being poked and prodded, but he couldn't fathom letting Bartz go through that alone.

He parked Fenrir close to the house, affording it some protection from the rain. Cloud ran onto the porch and into the house, sopping wet from his short journey. He was greeted to Tifa and Yuffie staring at him from the sofa with concerned, tense looks. "Storm front got me," he said with a blush.

"...I guess you better get changed, then. How did your jobs go?" Tifa asked. She was studying him with her ruby eyes.

He shrugged. "Pretty good. Have some extra cash to take the kids somewhere tomorrow." He liked the thought, since he wasn't going to spend all day with Bartz. The silver lining to all of this was spending more time with his family. "You, too, Tifa. We should have some family time together."

Instead of smiling at the thought she seemed to stiffen, bringing a frown to his face. "Well, that sounds nice." Her eyes wandered to the floor.

Cloud cocked his head to the side a little. Tifa always looked forward to family time together, and he wondered why she seemed so hesitant now. "Is everything okay, Teef?" She didn't seem her usual, positive self.

"Yeah." She looked up into his eyes. They looked...sad. "I...guess everything that's happened is...starting to hit me."

He put a hand over hers and she flinched, so he pulled back. "Sorry, forgot I'm wet. I guess everything hit me when I was being tested back in Edge. But I think I'm...getting over it." Cloud let out a sigh and looked towards the stairs. "Everything'll be fine."

"'Everything'll be fine'?" Yuffie leaned forward to look at Cloud better. "How can you even say that?"

He looked towards her and gave her a withering look. "Has anything else happened?"

"No, but that doesn't mean everything is gonna be okay!" Her dark grey eyes looked him up and down. "Don't you think you've been acting kinda weird lately?"

Tifa put a hand over hers. "Yuffie."

Cloud rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but feel his cheeks begin to warm and his palms begin to sweat despite being waterlogged. "You always said I was weird," he mumbled. "Anyway, I'm gonna get cleaned up."

He went up the stairs without another word to go get a hot shower and some dry clothes, and then maybe he would play with the kids while Tifa made dinner. The thought made him smile a little. As long as he didn't raise Yuffie or Tifa's suspicions as he began his plan, everything would work out for the best. No assimilation or mind control, just a peaceful contact with another world.

He hadn't felt this upbeat in nearly three days.


	7. Then Everything Goes to Hell

Tifa sat on the couch in a daze as Yuffie held her shoulder. Cloud had found Bartz, he was visiting it, and he was hiding it from them. While she had been able to shake off the visions so far, it seemed he couldn't, and he had been disappearing into the night in search of the mysterious being like a puppet to his master. The thought made her sick; it was happening again.

But this time it wasn't with Sephiroth, someone she knew he could shrug away now. This time it was a new being taking a novel approach to its prey.

Tifa looked over at Yuffie with her forlorn eyes and inhaled deep. "When are they coming?"

Yuffie puffed her cheeks as she blew out a breath. "They should be here soon. Kinda hard to tell with the storm and all..." Yuffie looked up, listening to the shower. Her big brother figure was compromised by a space monster. "I hate this so much. Everything is going to shit."

Tifa put her head in her hands as her elbows rested on her legs. "He's being controlled again." Was it him anymore? He could have been physically assimilated the night he wandered off, for all she knew. Everyone in the house would have to go in for testing just in case something like that had happened. "This is all we can do, isn't it? I don't know. I could help him when it was Sephiroth, but I feel like this is different…"

She felt Yuffie comfortingly rub her back, and she fought back tears that were threatening to let loose. This was someone she loved dearly, in an alien's vile grasp. "What about Bartz?"

"They're gonna search the area I spied Cloud at. Hopefully he's still there and maybe, if we're lucky, that'll bring Cloud back after we finish it off. If, ya know...worst case scenario didn't happen." She had told Tifa what she had seen before running off. The alien had handed a map to Cloud and changed its clothing in a flash of light. She dared not get too close, Cloud's hearing was good. Yuffie had scuttled away after that. "Why it's out here I have no idea. Maybe it followed Cloud."

"...I don't see why." She had her doubts, but none so strong as Cloud's must have been before it had appeared near Walz. Tifa heard the shower stop upstairs, and decided that she wanted these last few minutes with him, no matter the risk. Giving Yuffie's shoulder a squeeze, she went up to their room. She sat on their bed as the children played a game on the other bed, and they glanced over at Tifa with a concerned look as she frowned into the wall. Catching their stares, she smiled and nodded at them, silently lying to them that everything was okay. They went back to their game.

This could be the last time they have family time together.

"Teef?"

She looked up to see Cloud, his face full of concern. He was dressed casually, in a white shirt and blue jeans, his hair still moist from the shower. Tifa tried her best to continue smiling. "Let's have some of that family time you were talking about."

He nodded and sat next to her, and she leaned on his shoulder, watching the children. It didn't matter that she was so close to him, they had slept next to each other last night, she reasoned. "Tifa," he whispered. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Tifa took in a deep, quiet breath. "Cloud, if you...if you were feeling strange...you'd tell me, right?" She looked up and studied his face. Gods, his beautiful, blue eyes that she never tired of looking into. A pain went through her chest as she thought of what was to come...

He frowned. "Yeah...? I'm feeling pretty good right now, actually." Cloud hummed his contentedness. "I had a good day, despite the rain gettin' me."

"Aren't you worried about the alien anymore?" she tested. Cloud wouldn't give up on finding it until the danger was neutralized. The children left the room and trundled downstairs, shouting for their Aunt Yuffie.

He sighed. "Considering Edge and Kalm haven't been napalmed I'm starting to think he might not be a threat." Tifa stiffened and Cloud noticed. "You don't agree?"

"Cloud, how can I know if this is you reasoning or the alien?" She looked at the empty bed across from them, and began thinking about how scared the children were going to be very soon. _It's not Cloud's fault. He didn't mean this to happen. He tried._

"That doesn't make sense to you?"

"You left town that night," she blurted out. Tifa felt his gaze on her, but she didn't look up. "We know it wasn't just a walk," she whispered.

"He's not a danger."

She pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked him in the eye. His gaze was intense and his jaw tight. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't trust those eyes right now. "It's influencing you," she stated.

He shook his head. "He's not. I went to Bartz's camp to find out what he was up to. I couldn't take it anymore, knowing he was here and not back in Edge." Cloud turned his head to look at the floor. "I told him why we were after him. He understood why we were so hostile after that."

"You...you told him about Sephiroth and Jenova?" Through his memories, or did he tell him himself? Her brows scrunched together.

"He seemed to already know Sephiroth. He just didn't know what he was capable of." Cloud sighed and put his elbows on his knees. "I guess it doesn't matter. You think I'm under his control."

"Cloud—"

"I convinced him to surrender to the WRO." Cloud looked back at her with pursed lips.

"...What?"

He rubbed his face and looked at the opposing wall. "Bartz wants to prove he's not like that. So I'm going to negotiate a peaceful surrender with Reeve."

Tifa's face was numb. She looked towards the door. _Reeve..._

"Teef?"

There was the sound of trucks rolling down the road and then the sound on engines idling. Cloud picked it up and narrowed his eyes as he looked towards the source of the noise. Tifa looked back with an apologetic look, though he couldn't see it. "Yuffie—"

"Alerted the WRO." Cloud stood up. "I guess I understand," he said tersely, then looked back at Tifa. "They aren't gonna find Bartz without my cooperation."

"They know where it's camping."

"Not 'it', 'he'. And Bartz left the area." He left the room and anxiously Tifa followed him downstairs. As they approached the bottom step the door opened, and a masked WRO official entered. Cloud's hands balled into fists and he stared down his potential target. "I wanna talk to Reeve, now," he demanded.

The official gave him a small bow. "Sir, I have to ask you to come with us peacefully. It has come to the WRO's attention that you have come into contact with the alien—"

"You don't own me!"

Yuffie shook her head as she held the children back. They had tried to reach for him. "You're under its influence. Just...go with them, Cloud. We all have to come, too."

He snapped his head towards Yuffie with a glower. "No, I'm not! Now get Reeve on the damn phone!"

"He's not in charge of _this_ —" She waved her hand around. "—anymore," Yuffie replied with a despondent look in her eyes. "And I'm out for the time being, too."

"What do you mean, Reeve isn't in charge anymore?" Cloud growled.

"Sir, if you don't come peacefully, we will have to use force—"

Cloud glared at him. "Shut the fuck up," he hissed, immediately hostile towards these interlopers. There was no way he was being taken and restrained and poked and prodded til the end of days. He looked at Yuffie, his glower not letting up. "Why would you say _anything_ when Reeve isn't in charge?"

She viciously rolled her eyes. "Why do _you_ think?! You were hanging out with that alien, you shithead!"

Cloud motioned his head towards the soldiers. "I don't trust them."

Tifa spoke up finally. "But how can we trust you, under the circumstances?" Her voice was breaking.

He looked back at Tifa, who held a sad, pleading stare, his eyes growing wilder as the seconds ticked by. Maybe he should have said something to her, at least, but this was too much of a punishment for his silence. "You want me alone and forgotten, in some scientist's lab?"

She shook her head as tears began to leak from her eyes. "No! I just want _you_ back, I want _my_ Cloud back..."

"This is the WRO, not Shinra!" Yuffie let out a frustrated growl. "Can you just cooperate, so we can get this mess figured out?"

"I'm not going. They have no authority over me."

As he tried to stare down Yuffie, Cloud felt the official grab for his wrist. His free fist immediately connected with the officer's mask, and the man tumbled limply to the ground. "I'm not going back there!" he spat.

"Cloud!" the children shouted in unison.

He looked back as the children cried his name, then felt something pinch his neck and an electrical current suddenly coursing through him. Tifa shouted, the children were screaming, and Cloud ripped the pins out of his neck in a rage and leapt forward, knocking the next WRO trooper into the mud as he looked about like a wild animal in the rain, studying his opponents. There were twelve others, all armed with what looked like rifles, or perhaps dart guns. He wasn't sure. He glared at the shortest one, the teen taking a step back as their target tensed.

"Cloud! Please don't do this!" Tifa shouted from the doorway.

He didn't look back. "I'm not goin' back into a lab!" Cloud lunged at the teen soldier and socked him in the gut, then effortlessly grabbed him by his leg and tossed him into his friends. He heard several shots ring out as he leapt over the military truck and began his escape from the neighborhood, his bare feet bruising in the pebble-strewn mud.

Cloud could hear them following him in the rain, shouts to surrender, begging him to come back. He knew what would be waiting for him, though. He could barely stand being tested back in Edge, and without Bartz there to prove his humanity he knew they would fruitlessly test him instead as he continued to insist he wasn't out of his mind. Probably strapped to a table as they poked and prodded and took samples...

As a precaution, of course. His eye twitched.

He leaped at the wall as soon as he came within ten feet of it, but it had been a weaker jump than he had intended. Cloud's chest smashed into the top of the wall, and he scrambled to keep hold of it. His feet kicked at the stone as he eyed freedom beyond the town; grassy, wet, freedom.

A wave of vertigo overcame him and he fell back towards the muddy earth. He hit the mud with a wet splat, coating his back and sides as he tried to get up after gasping for breath. He felt funny. Moving his hands towards his back as he tried to get up, he noticed three darts stuck in his back and right side. He ripped them out; he was sure it was the type they used to knock out Behemoths, and he just took several doses.

His head fell back again into the mud, coating his golden locks in filth. He moved his head to look the way he came, his arms and legs not listening to his commands to get up and run. Cloud's eyes tried to focus on four...no, two troopers as they cautiously approached him, nudging him with a foot before taking him by the arms.

"Target has been incapacitated. Taking him to transport."

He tried to struggle in their grip, his mind screaming to get away before he was sealed from the outside world again, but to no avail as his consciousness left his drugged up body.

* * *

Bartz looked out the window of his room after donning his new clothing. After Cloud had left, he had borrowed an umbrella from the innkeep and headed towards the only clothing shop in town. He knew he couldn't keep sticking out like a sore thumb. So, he had taken a look at what was for sale. Now, he wore a simple ensemble that he felt would keep him from being noticeable: a pair of dark blue jeans, a light gray shirt and dark zip up hoodie, a pair of black leather boots and a curious pair of sunglasses.

It was almost noon and he was sure Cloud would have visited by now with some news about the WRO, but he hadn't returned yet and he was getting antsy. He decided to go downstairs and pay for another night; he thought that maybe Cloud would appear during his trek downstairs.

He hoped he could spend another night in Walz. The shower really was a lot better than a lukewarm creek after he got the hang of the water temperatures, and the innkeeper's wife had made a small meal and sent it up to him, of some kind of stew he found exotic but pleasant.

"Heya, just wanted to pay for another night." Bartz slipped a fifty gil note to the innkeeper, who took it while shaking his wizened head.

"Thanks, boy." The old man looked at Bartz with an appraising look. "Heard some news this morning. Sounds like whatever it was they was lookin' for in Edge came here, and the WRO went and took a family away durin' the storm yesterday. Heard they had connections with it."

Bartz's eyes widened. "Did you hear who they took?"

The innkeeper scratched his head. "I didn't catch any of their names, but they came in a few days ago, before the roads were blocked."

The young adventurer looked down towards the counter. Intuitively, he knew it was Cloud and his family. They were being hauled off for 'testing'. He narrowed his eyes; he had to help them somehow. He looked back up and nodded. "Well, I got things I gotta do while the sun's still shining. Thanks a lot, old man."

The innkeeper huffed and grinned. "Stay outta trouble, whippersnapper."

Bartz went upstairs and collected his traveler's pouch, then went back downstairs and out the door. There were some strange looking men on the streets here and there holding objects that faintly reminded him of the Ronka ruins' cannons, and it made him worry. Would they suspect him already?

 _Act cool._

Not knowing how suspicious these soldiers were of him, he felt rather self conscious. Bartz had to remind himself that he wasn't wearing anything strange, that he was completely normal looking to anyone on the street. Taking his newfound sunglasses out of his pocket, he put them on before making his way towards the stables in the back of the inn to fetch his borrowed chocobo.

This was going to be dangerous.

Mounting the chocobo he went towards the nearest exit, his destination would be the cliffs he had hidden his camp on. There had to be a way through there and back towards Edge. Before he left the town proper, a soldier with a red beret held his hand out, demanding he halt. "Hey. What is your business outside of the town?" he demanded.

Bartz thought a moment. "I have errands to run...and I've had a late start as it is."

A grunt came from the soldier. "Name?"

His eyes looked around under his sunglasses. "...Dorgann. Dorgann Star!"

The soldier cocked his head and frowned. "Weird name," he muttered before pressing buttons on some flat device. "Be back in town by seven, and curfew is at eight."

"Uh, why? What happened?" What did he know that the innkeeper didn't? "I slept in, so I don't know the daily gossip."

"Oh." The soldier blew air out of his nose. "What we were searchin' for in Edge and Kalm was actually here...so we're combing the areas immediately outside of town for it. Try and avoid those areas, and stick to the road."

Bartz nodded. "Thanks."

His quest was about to get even more dangerous, it seemed. He took off towards the north and then the west, eventually finding himself in that corridor of cliffs and mountain sides. He looked about for a way to go around the roadblock further down the road; he would go directly to Edge to confront the WRO organization at its base. There had to be a place the chocobo could navigate through, he just knew it.

His eyes lit up when he remembered that place he passed with the old man in the truck. Healin Lodge. Surely there was a path that could lead towards Edge from there. He traveled westward until he reached a board with arrows pointing upwards into the cliffs, and another pointing towards the west. He took his sunglasses off as the shade of the canyon compromised his sight.

Racing his chocobo upward, he noticed waterfalls and a strange white structure come into view as he climbed further and further up the path. The scent on the air reminded him of Istory Falls, and he hoped to experience the place during a more relaxed visit after his grand rescue. He stopped his chocobo as she came to even ground and thought hard about what he should do.

How was he going to talk to these people without getting killed? Bartz had thought of going up to one of the soldiers and admitting he was the troublesome alien, but the look Cloud had given him had screamed that he needed someone with him to make sure everything was alright. Like he didn't trust the WRO, despite a friend leading it.

Well, if he showed up at their doorstep, maybe he could convince the leader that things weren't as bad as they thought. But Cloud's friend hauled him away...was he that afraid, or was he that cutthroat? Maybe he really hadn't thought things through enough, but he couldn't stay in Walz while Cloud and Tifa were held prisoner.

He kept thinking about his options until he heard a throat clearing to his right. Bartz looked over to see two men watching him, one bald and frowning and the other with a shock of long red hair and a sly look about him.

The red-head tilted his head and scratched his chest, his white shirt wrinkled under an open blue jacket. "Not gonna say hello?"

Bartz moved his jaw up and down a few times before muttering a greeting. The red-head smirked, and seemed to study his eyes.

"You have business here, yo?"

"Uh...I-I've never been up here before and—"

The man snickered. "You didn't know this place was restricted to Shinra personnel only, kid?"

"Shinra? Ah, no, I didn't." Bartz looked back the way he came. This may have been a very bad idea.

"You don't know what Shinra is?" the bald man quietly inquired.

Bartz looked around. What was a Shinra and what does it do? "You guys?"

The bald man shook his head, all the while studying him behind his sunglasses. "You look like someone the WRO is after."

"Uh, I-I don't know what you're talkin' about."

The red-head laughed, then pointed at Bartz with a metal stick in a strangely casual manner. "You must be Bartz, that alien freakin' everyone out."

Bartz's eyes widened. "W-wait, I just wanna—"

An electrical current surged through his body, and the last thing he remembered was a falling sensation and a chocobo's surprised wark.

* * *

 _Ifrit stood in front of them. Flames were everywhere and the eidolon boasted in some strange language, but Cloud got the jist of it_ _somehow. Ifrit was large, horned and feral, staring into his soul as he spoke._

 _"What a warm welcome," Cloud dead-panned._

 _The two behind him groaned. He glanced back with a faint smile. It was Bartz and that boy with a tail...Zidane!_

 _"You're not punny," Zidane said. Cloud chuckled before returning his gaze to Ifrit._

 _Zidane...he got along with Bartz. They were both so peppy._

Cloud woke up with a start, wincing his eyes closed as bright light shined in his face. He turned away and tried to move his arm to block the light, but something stopped it. He very slowly opened his eyes and noticed they were in metal cuffs on a steel examination table. His blood ran cold. The last time he was like this Hojo was sneering at him as he did a biopsy after several injections of a black substance into his body.

He pushed at the cuffs but they held firm.

He looked around the room as his eyes adjusted to the light and he began to panic. The only sounds were those of various monitors gauging his heartbeat, O2 and several other things he wasn't familiar with, and wires sticking to his body. His privates felt uncomfortable; there was a catheter! He never, _ever_ wanted to be this helpless again. _Not this not this not this get me out out out out—_

A door slid open and he lifted his head to see a doctor and nurse dressed in biohazard suits. They paused to stare at him as he gave the most venomous look he could muster towards them. "Let...me...out," Cloud snarled through clenched teeth. " _Now_."

The doctor, nonplussed, looked at the machines near the metal table that held Cloud. "Subject is showing signs of distress, administer tranquilizers." The nurse nodded and walked over to a cabinet above a sink, and the doctor came over to Cloud's side to look him over. He was in scrubs, all four limbs locked to the table and another pinning his torso down. "I'm sorry, Mr. Strife, but at this time you might pose a threat to the world at large. We are going to have to run some tests—"

"I'm not your guinea pig and I'm only a threat to _you_ if you don't get me out of these goddamn shackles _now_ ," Cloud spat. He glared at the nurse as he came closer with a needle, a clear fluid squirting out in a test push. "Get that thing the hell away from me!" His body tensed, and he shifted under his restraints.

"Mr. Strife, please hold still. It's merely a tranquilizer."

"I don't care what it is, you aren't jabbing me with it!"

The nurse came closer and began touching Cloud's arm in a search for a vein. He lunged his head at the nurse, attempting to bite him. After quickly taking a step back from Cloud, he positioned himself in a safer spot before sticking the needle in a vein with difficulty as his patient thrashed about. He was still trying to bite, and jerking around got him unintentionally stabbed several times before the nurse found a good spot. Cloud struggled on the table until he couldn't move again, his eyelids slowly growing heavier. "Let...me...out."

He woke up an unknown amount of time later, his arms sore and his head held down by a new metal band on his forehead. His rage was building up again and he pushed on the metal holding down his arms, straining against the cuffs. How dare they treat him like a lab rat again...!

They weren't keeping him here. He would rather die than be stuck in a lab for the rest of his life, because that was probably their plan all along. Cloud decided that if he ever got out he was going to sock every last scientist and doctor in the WRO in the gut if he wasn't in the mood to gut them where they stood.

Cloud tried some more but the aftereffects of the drugs had weakened him, and he was sure they probably took more blood than they needed to from his body. He took in a deep breath and sighed heavily. What were they doing to Tifa and the kids? The WRO was going to have to come to him sometime to find Bartz. What was he up to? Was he still in the inn, wondering where he had gone?

He felt so helpless and alone. He wanted his family and his friends. He wanted Zack to be there to comfort him, just like last time.

"Please let me out of this. Please."


	8. Barret's Bedside Manner

"I think he's wakin' up, yo."

Bartz felt a rough shove from something hard. He blinked open his eyes, and immediately began to look around; it was all he could do since his legs and arms were bound. He lay on the floor of a room dimly lit by gentle sunlight coming through the windows, and there were three faces looking down at him. The two from before and a new one with slicked back, dark hair and a dot on his forehead.

"Bartz the alien, I presume?" the new one asked.

Bartz quietly, reluctantly nodded. It still felt strange being referred to as an alien. He glanced around again, then stared up at the apparent leader of the three.

"I don't know what you were thinking, coming up here," the man said in a stern, suspicious voice, "but it's going to be the last mistake you get to make."

"I was trying to save my friend," Bartz admitted before swallowing hard.

The red-head sighed. "Great, there's more of 'em."

The man with the slicked back hair looked at his associate, then back at Bartz with an expression of disdain. "Strife must have missed the second one," he mumbled.

Bartz blinked. "S-Strife? Cloud Strife?" They were staring at him. "I'm trying to save _him_!"

"So that's your friend..."

"Good luck with that, yo. He's locked up tight because of you," the red-head drawled out.

"I didn't _do_ anything to him, damn it! He was gonna talk to the WRO so I could do 'tests' or whatever..." He struggled a bit on the floor. Why did he think it was a good idea to come up here?

The bald man huffed. "He was acting strange the last time we saw him."

"And then there's the monsters gatherin' around your little space pod, yo."

The leader held up a crystal, and Bartz's eyes widened. "Then there's these things."

They had his crystals, of course. Who were these Shinra, anyway? They didn't seem to be a part of the WRO or he would have been in Edge by now. Were they gauging how much of a threat he really was? Bartz took in a deep breath. _One thing at a time._ "I know I'm probably not the one that should be askin' questions, but...who are you guys?"

He heard footsteps approaching and Bartz moved his head to look in their direction. A man in a long white suit with blond hair appraised him with a subtle smirk on his face. "Reno, Rude. Let our guest use the couch." He made a motion with his hand.

The two hoisted Bartz onto the couch none too softly, and he had to lean forward because of his bound hands after he got himself slightly comfortable. He took in the room from his new vantage point before focusing on the man who commanded these well dressed ruffians.

The man in white crossed his arms. "I am Rufus Shinra. Do you know why you're here and not in Edge, being examined by scientists?" Bartz shrugged, unsure of his intentions. "Because I have my doubts as to your perceived threat to the Planet."

"Boss?" Reno inquired.

"You came here, into Shinra territory, looking the same as you did the night you came to this planet. Besides your outfit, that is. What's more, you didn't know what Shinra was." He pointed at Bartz. "If you were anything like we feared, you would have gotten that information from Cloud the moment you touched him."

Bartz snorted. "At least someone around here has a brain."

The man let out a short chuckle. "Be that as it may, I'm sure you could appreciate our wariness. Especially with the monsters that are attempting to congregate near your meteorite." The last sentence was more a question.

Bartz looked down, deep in thought. Monsters? _Wait._ "The Adamantite." He looked back up. "I forgot about it! It...it makes things fly, but it can also attract monsters if there's a lot of it laying around..." _If Mid was correct, that was._

"What does it look like?"

"Purple and jagged."

"I see." The man in white turned to the man with sleek, black hair. "Tseng, contact Elena." Tseng nodded and left the building after one last glance at Bartz. Again those icy blue eyes were on him as he sat on the couch. "With that out of the way, why are you here?"

Bartz explained everything to this man the same he had told Cloud, the whys and hows. "I never meant to cause any trouble. I just wanted to see someplace new."

"But how do you know Cloud?" Rufus inquired.

"A while back...we were sent to this other world, where we had to fight others so we could get back home. I met him and a lot of other people, too. I saw Tifa there, and Sephiroth." Bartz let out a sigh, realizing how silly it must have sounded. "When I got back to my world, only a week had passed the first time. The second time, about a year ago, only a day. I woke up in my bedroll with a bunch of fuzzy memories, but I didn't wanna forget the people I met. I guess it sounds stupid, but that's how I met Cloud."

Rufus let out a skeptical hum, but Reno and Rude had stiffened. He noticed and looked at the two, desiring an answer.

"Last year we found Cloud spread-eagled out by the Sector Five church, next to his motorcycle," Rude said.

Reno nodded, his face uncharacteristically serious. "He was muttering about fighting Sephiroth and a few names tumbled outta his mouth, but I can't remember them. Too quiet, yo." He took in a breath and scratched the back of his head. "I guess it doesn't prove anything, but Strife doesn't come off as the kinda guy to take a nap all prone like that."

Rufus' mouth formed a thin line and his eyes narrowed. "So, maybe you are telling the truth, then. Hm. Shinra has much to atone for still." He motioned towards Bartz, and Reno came forward. He lifted his hand to reveal a switchblade. Bartz stiffened as the red-head came closer, then cut the bindings that held his hands behind his back, then his feet. "But, we atone our way."

"What's _your_ way?" Bartz inquired as he stretched his back and arms. He began rotating the soreness out of his wrists.

Rufus gave him a faint, but devious smile. "The underhanded way."

* * *

 _How did he always know where to find Sephiroth? No matter what, he could just...feel him. Maybe he was off somewhere far away, or on the other side of a wall, but no matter what, Cloud knew. He was sure Sephiroth could feel him just the same._

 _They had used this strange connection before, in fights against Cosmos' forces._

 _But now, as Cloud watched a battle on a sterile expanse of blue rock between a man with a machine gun and Garland, he wondered why he should bother anymore. The cycles just continued on and on, and his bank of memories had grown larger and larger. He remembered where he was from and what he was: a wretched puppet._

 _Sephiroth seemed to know something of their relationship, just enough to taunt him subtly here and there. It was unlike how it was when they began this accursed quest to assist Chaos, when the Silver General was stoic yet curious in moments of peace. They had never been friends exactly, but they had been partners in battle._

 _But he had fallen where Cloud had not, and Sephiroth had risen where others fell. They weren't quite enemies, but Cloud went out of his way to avoid him and that stupid clown that had his own puppet to play with. As Garland ran off, the blond puppet wondered if Kefka would teach Sephiroth how to enslave him, just like Terra. He shuddered._

 _The man with the machine gun looked towards Cloud's hiding spot, and he took a few jittery steps back before falling to his knee and...holding his leg. Cloud raised a brow. This guy beat Garland? He shook his head and walked off the way Cosmos' warrior had come, content to watch as these senseless battles went on without him._

Cloud awoke from his dream (or was it a memory?) to the sound of the sliding door opening and heavy footsteps stomping in a familiar fashion to his ears. He was covered in sweat, and not because it was warm in the room. It was actually rather cool. "Let me out," he croaked.

"I ain't doin' that, Spiky. Even if I wanna."

Cloud's eyes widened at that voice, and he tried to push his head up, but the metal band on his forehead kept him down. Barret's face appeared moments later, studying him with a resigned look from behind the plastic face plate of a biohazard suit. "How you feelin'?

"My head hurts and I'm hungry as hell."

Barret snorted. "No shit, alien probably wormin' its way through your brain."

Cloud glared at him. "My head's been resting on metal for God knows how long. You would get a headache, too." He made no effort to conceal his irritation. "Those idiots haven't figured out I'm not infected yet?"

"They said they're not sure how it's hidin' in your system, so they gonna run some more tests on those samples."

Cloud grit his teeth. "Because there's nothin' there but Jenova cells and mako. Bartz _isn't_ a Calamity."

"There's monsters congregatin' around that damn meteorite for who knows what reason, and you gonna treat it like it's your friend?" Barret asked with a raised voice. He pointed a gloved finger at the blond. "It got you good."

Cloud furrowed his brow over the news of monsters congregating around Bartz's meteorite. "No one told me. And if those morons would have talked to me first they could have had Bartz in custody by now and asked him why themselves."

"Yeh, like it was gonna surrender, I bet."

"He was. He wanted to clear his name, and...I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt," he sighed out. "Now I'm stuck to this table for...however long they want to keep me here. Maybe I should be used to it, huh?" Cloud laughed bitterly. "I escape Shinra and now my friends rat me out to send me to another torture chamber."

"It's for yer own good—"

"Yeah, they said that in the mansion basement before the biopsy, but thanks for the assurance I guess," Cloud spat, the heart monitor beeping faster as he grew more agitated. He looked down towards the metal band holding his chest down, then at the IV wire that traveled to his unseen hand before looking back at Barret with pleading eyes. "How's Tifa and the kids holding up?" he asked in a quiet voice. Cloud was terrified that they were going through the same things he was, confined to a table with limited human interaction.

"Still here, but they ain't bein' held like you. Yuffie's in the same boat, they're lettin' them stay together." Barret's eyes softened. "They worried about you like nothin' else. We all are, man."

He looked away as he blinked quickly. "I miss them." Cloud swallowed heavily.

Barret gave Cloud's forearm a pat. "I hope you can see them soon, I really do, Spiky. They miss you, too."

Cloud did his best to nod. "I didn't..." He was still bitter about what he felt was a betrayal on the part of Yuffie and Tifa. He felt so alone, even with Barret in the room. "I just wanted there to be a peaceful resolution. We could have had it...I don't know anymore."

"Why not? You know where the alien's hidin'."

Cloud shook his head. "Bartz is probably gone by now. I didn't show up like I said I would. He would know something's wrong."

Barret gave him a withering look. "We got that whole area on lockdown now. He ain't gettin' away."

"He has magic. He can just...teleport away." He noisily huffed and looked around before studying his friend's face behind the plastic mask. "Barret, don't you find it strange that at no point has he infected large groups of people when he had the chance?" Cloud asked, the strain in his voice apparent.

"You don't know that. For all we know we jes' don't know how to detect it. Maybe it ain't Jenova, fine. Maybe it's worse," Barret warned.

"Yeah, and they woulda known if they hadn't hauled me off to be poked and prodded like a...a science experiment." The beeps from the many machines began to chirp faster again. "They blew their chances. I don't even know if I'd trust them without Reeve breathing down their neck."

"Reeve's jes not in charge of all this 'cause you involved. He's still top dog, but a council's in control of the alien investigation." Barret stretched his neck, it was stiff from looking down at Cloud.

"Great. When they eventually split me open and examine my guts give him my regards."

"They ain't gonna do that!"

Cloud grimaced at his friend. "What would _you_ know? You aren't in charge of these whack jobs. Look what they've done to me, already!"

Barret looked pained, but still stubborn. "You tried to bite the goddamn nurse!"

He stared at Barret, then looked away again, his voice almost a whisper. "You know how I feel about scientists." The thought of them made his skin crawl. What did they do to him after they knocked him out? What were they going to do to him later?

"I know it, and believe me, I don't like seein' yeh like this at all. But you also know why this's happenin'. You had to go run off teh see that thing, and now Marlene's involved. If she's infected there's gonna be hell to pay, but that's not on you, Cloud. I blame myself for not takin' her to Junon, and I blame that alien for followin' ya."

"Gee, thanks. Knowing my luck I'll be dead by the time they figure out Bartz is harmless." He finally looked back at Barret, his expression sour and glum. "Sick bastards. This is just an excuse to examine me..." He looked away again and flexed his hands anxiously. No one really cared how he felt or what he had to say. _I'll lay here forgotten like I was in Nibelheim. No one's gonna come for me. I'm expendable._

Barret glanced at the monitors and then back at the blond; he looked torn. "We'll get this fixed up soon, Spiky." He let out a quiet, resigned grunt. "I gotta go before they get antsy...Jes' hang in there for us, man."

Cloud let out an annoyed huff, a sinking feeling growing in his chest. "Whatever. Tell the kids I said hello. I can't blame _them_ for any of this..." Done speaking, he closed his eyes. Cloud could feel Barret hesitate before leaving the room, the door sliding shut behind him and leaving a silent, empty space behind.

Immediately he felt lonely again, and regretted not convincing Barret to linger just a few more minutes. But that desolate feeling turned to a spiteful resolve soon after. Cloud knew if he wanted to escape before they tried anything more than just 'sample taking' he was going to have to get out of this mess himself.

* * *

"How is he doing?" Tifa asked as she sat on a cot in their observation room. The children sat next to her, and Yuffie stood next to Barret, looking at him for answers.

Barret rubbed the back of his neck. "I think it's gettin' to him. Being in there, I mean."

"He doesn't like being alone."

"I know that! He doesn't like his...accommodations. Frankly, I don't like 'em, either."

Denzel spoke up. "Why? What did they do to Cloud?" The last he saw of his hero, he was completely knocked out and being dragged into a different truck than the rest of them, covered in mud. It had taken hours for Tifa to calm him and Marlene down.

Barret waved his good hand. "Don't you be worryin' 'bout that!"

"Papa, what did they do to him?" Marlene insisted.

"He's jes bein' held a little different than you guys 'cause they think you all are probably fine."

Tifa stood up and motioned towards the far corner of the room. "Kids, stay here." The three adults made their way to the farthest corner of the room from the children. "Barret. What did they do to Cloud?"

Barret stood there, silent as he squeezed and relaxed his fists erratically. "...He's bein' restrained on an examination table in scrubs."

Tifa and Yuffie's eyes widened simultaneously. " _Restrained_?" she repeated.

"They said it's 'cause it's common knowledge in the WRO that Cloud don't take kindly to scientists." Barret chewed on his lip, he really didn't like how they set everything up. There would be no way to calm him down now free of releasing him, and then he would most likely try to escape. "He also tried bitin' a nurse as they gave him a tranquilizer. So, his...head isn't very mobile at the moment."

Tifa gasped. "They won't let him move his head?" Her expression hardened with resolve. "I need to see him."

Yuffie hummed with uncertainty. "I dunno if they'll let you do that, even with the suit." Her usual arrogance had been replaced recently with guilt. "Barret barely got in, and he's not potentially infected."

"Well, they better. If I can get him to calm down, maybe they'll take him off that table..." She felt sick to her stomach. This wasn't how they should be treating Cloud, like he was just a thing and not a human. That was Shinra, not the WRO. It shouldn't be the WRO.

Barret shrugged. "I'll try'n get them to let you in. It's takin' its toll on his mental health, that's for sure. He's still insistin' that alien isn't any trouble."

Tifa looked down while pursing her lips. She was still suffering flashbacks, even one with Cloud in it, saving her from Sephiroth in a place filled with mako. Neither of them knew each other, and they were on different sides of a war, but he came to her rescue anyway. He wouldn't have let them restrain her like they were doing to him right now, she admitted to herself. It made her feel all the more worse. In fact, he would have gone out of his way to tear away whatever held her.

What kind of person was her paranoia turning her into?

What if Cloud was right, too? She had more time to think it over during the ride to the WRO building, but she dared not say anything to anyone in case she was next in line to stay on an examination table. How would she keep care of the children then? _He said Bartz was going to surrender._

She looked up at Barret and nodded. "As soon as you can, please. I have to see him."

Yuffie sighed. "If I knew this was gonna happen I think I woulda been a little more hesitant to say anything...Reeve wouldn't have let this happen."

"Reeve was in control when you contacted him. He wasn't by the time your conversation ended," Barret reminded her. "You thought he was gonna be treated better. I did, too." He shook his head. "First things first, we gotta get him calmed down so they get him out of that shit. Then we go from there."

"Right." Yuffie kicked at the ground. "He's pissed at me, isn't he?"

Barret chuckled humorlessly. "He's pissed at everyone but the kids. Misses the hell out of 'em."

The remark jabbed at Tifa's heart. Her presence might not help his mood, after all. Still, she needed to try. "Just talk to whoever you can so I can get in there. And tell them to give him a pillow or a blanket, something!" She held the bridge of her nose. "He's been fed, right?" No answer. "Barret?" Her hand fell to her side.

"He has an IV," he responded flatly.

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "I want to see him by lunch _today_ or they're going to deal with me next. This is barbaric."

"Me an' Reeve'll give 'em hell, don't you worry." Barret gave her a piercing look. "...You been havin' anymore of those images pop in your head?"

Tifa sighed sharply. Of course she had, and they were becoming clearer. "I don't know if they're 'memories' or just my paranoia acting up or an alien messing with my head." She pointed at the children, who very obviously were trying to listen in. "But they aren't suffering from them, and neither is Yuffie. Anyway, thanks Barret. Hopefully I can get through to him."

Barret nodded. "Leave it to me!" He turned around and walked over to Marlene, giving her a big bear hug before leaving.

"This is crazy. They're already treating him like he's less than human," Yuffie said irritably. "Oh, they know he doesn't like scientists. Let's nail him to a table, he'll like them then," she whispered to Tifa.

Tifa didn't say anything back. All she could do was anxiously wait for an answer from Barret. Her mouth was dry and her stomach hurt. Denzel walked up to her, depression growing with each passing hour on his face.

"I miss Cloud."

"He misses you, too, sweetie." It hurt to think he might not want to see her. Would Cloud ever forgive her for her part in this? She only wanted to protect their family...not tear it apart.

"When can we see him again?"

"I'm going to try and see him today, Denzel. I wanna make sure he's doing alright."

Denzel nodded. "Tell him we said hi back, and we miss him a lot."

"I will." Tifa went to sit on her cot, thinking about what she could possibly say to Cloud. She wouldn't give up on getting him free from his accommodations; he was the last person that deserved anything like that. Even if he wouldn't speak to her again, she would do what she had to do.


	9. Escape

**A/N: Okay, will do another batch of revisions soon! Thanks again to my beta readers SSD, MarleNadia, and Irish-Brigid!**

* * *

Cloud pushed hard against the metal holding his right arm again, straining his muscles further. Ever since Barret had left he had been trying his damnedest to break his bindings before any more scientists came to do _things_ to his body. He alternated between arms, giving one a rest while the other worked. Very slowly, the cuffs began to give to his superhuman strength.

Those scientists had come in several minutes after Barret had left, jabbing him with a needle for another 'sample' and taking yet another small skin graft. He had stayed quiet the whole time, not answering their questions but not giving them a reason to drug him again, either. He just had to stay calm, and when they left he could begin his plan.

He wasn't quite sure just how long he had been stuck in here, but it had been long enough for him, and it had been several hours since his friend had departed. A groan came from somewhere in the metal, and he couldn't help but smile savagely at such a sweet sound. These must have been made for SOLDIER, he figured. Cloud was stronger than all but one, and he was long dead.

 _Ping!_ His right arm shot up in triumph and Cloud caught himself before he let out a shout. He didn't need to catch _their_ attention, not just yet. That came later. He took a moment to look at his hand and forearm, pink and red from pressing on the metal for so long. It ached and he stretched it, the joints cracking. The IV tube was sticking out of his hand, and he had to force himself to not rip it out nor the wires connected to him. Not yet.

Cloud put his arm down and worked on the next arm again, pressing hard then resting after several minutes of pulling upward. He couldn't allow his monitors to go too crazy; there weren't any cameras but the monitors were probably being watched. They were cocky enough to think that the bindings were good enough to hold _him_. Cloud almost laughed at the thought.

A groan of stressed metal issued from the binding, and he relaxed again. He took it slower with this one, and he waited a few minutes and listened to the monitors go back down to a slower pace of beeping. When Cloud was ready, he tensed his forearm, bit his lip and pushed hard. The metal creaked and his arm pressed harder, finally popping the joint of the metal band. He rested and took several heavy breaths, stretching both arms and flexing his hands.

The next part would be easy now that he had his arms back.

Cloud grasped the metal that held his chest down and pushed against the sides, hard. The pressure moved his body a little, the bands over his ankles cutting into his feet and the band over his forehead slipping over his brow a little. He shook it, wiggling it as he grit his teeth. Over the course of ten minutes he felt it slowly give way to his strength. His wiggling became harsher as the binding loosened before clattering to the ground, making him wince. _That was loud._

Moving his body downward with his free hands and knees he slipped under his head binding, then sat up. Gods, it felt good to sit again! He had a headache and his back hurt, so he stretched his spine and rolled his shoulders. He massaged the back of his neck, then looked down at the tube that traveled under his scrubs.

A heavy, wary sigh passed his lips. He had to do this. Carefully, he held his privates with one hand under the scrubs, then grasped the catheter with the other. Clenching his teeth together, he tensed while squeezing the tube. _One, two, three_ —He gagged as the worst pain he could imagine went through his nether region, and he whined weakly as he swallowed back bile.

Cloud took a few minutes to let the pain pass before continuing on to his feet. Almost free, and then there would be hell to pay for the next person to make the mistake of entering the room. He tore them off with little difficulty, perhaps a minute a piece, and he was mobile again. A rough, mad giggle bubbled out of him as he stretched and flexed, finally free of his bounds. Now he had to find a way out.

He figured if he had to he could possibly break one of the windows of the building and leap down with little issue; the science department wasn't too high up and he had jumped and fallen further distances than a few measly stories. Cloud wondered if there was any clothing stowed away in the room, but only eyed a cabinet, sink, and a small trash receptacle. The cabinet would only have more scrubs and vials of medicine and tranquilizers.

"Scrubs it is," he mumbled. Knowing his luck, the wind shear from his escape would rip them off and he would be in the buff, he supposed.

Positioning himself on the side of the table, he grasped at the wires still hanging on his body. After counting to himself from three to one he yanked them off, causing them to beep loudly. Then came the IV line, splattering blood on the table before he could cover the injection site with his thumb. He stood up, strode over to the light switch and shut them off, then hid behind the sink after quickly wrapping his bleeding hand with gauze and taking out a syringe and bottle of tranquilizer. Cloud stabbed the bottle with the needle tip, then pulled a good draw from it. Gripping the syringe in his hand, he narrowed his eyes and stared at the door as the sounds of a person getting closer grew in his ears. _Let's see how they like it._

* * *

Tifa walked through the little room she had entered from the hallway, then put down the food tray and blanket she held on a table next to her. Looking at the clumsy looking biohazard suit for a moment, she wondered if it was actually necessary. She didn't want a thin plastic sheet between them, but that was the deal. She would calm him down, make him promise not to do anything rash, then give him some food and the blanket. Maybe she could stay with him a while.

With a resigned sigh, she scrambled into the suit and zipped it up. It was a little loose for her liking, and she positioned the helmet the best she could before sealing it. It wasn't one of the most secure suits, but it was made for touch based contamination in mind; airborne infection had been considered but dropped quickly, because nothing could have stopped the spread of cellular material then.

She picked up the blanket and draped it over an arm, then picked up the tray again and held it in one hand as she pressed the button to open up into the room Cloud was held in. She had brought him some potato soup and buttered bread, and a carton of strawberry milk. Tifa looked at the little pink carton and sighed. It was one of his guilty pleasures.

Tifa found it cute that at one point he had tried to hide his enjoyment of the beverage from her, drinking it either with the kids when they requested it or making some when he thought she wasn't looking. One day, after a particularly bad delivery to some monster infested outpost, she gave him a tall glass of strawberry milk with a knowing smile. His cheeks burned red and he shook his head, claiming he didn't like it all that much.

So she had responded with a blush that that was why he would make himself a glass when he thought he was alone. It was okay, she said. Adults still liked kid things, and after everything he went through in life he deserved some flavored, pink-tinged milk. _The things he's embarrassed by..._ Then again, she thought, having stunted social growth _could_ do that.

The door opened and she was greeted to darkness. The machines on the wall were beeping wildly, and as her eyes focused she noticed the table was empty too, the metal bindings twisted off like cheap twine. Tifa's eyes widened: Cloud had escaped the room! She moved towards the examination table to put down the food tray when something slammed her to the ground, spilling the food everywhere. On instinct, she brought her legs up to her assailant's chest and kicked _hard_ , smashing them into something in the dark. There was a loud commotion as things broke and clattered. She heard the rush of water, then the silhouette began to stand up, partially illuminated by the faint light from the other room.

She quickly stood up and into a battle pose, but froze as a pair of hostile, glowing blue eyes glared back at her in the twilight. The door finally slid shut and cut off what little light she had to work with; the soup oozing down the clear plastic mask did her no favors, either. "Clou—"

He was on her again with a growl, holding the pugilist down on the floor and knocking the wind out of her as he pinned her with a vice grip. Tifa felt one of his hands moving on her arm, searching for something. "Cloud...please..." she gasped.

Cloud ripped off the suit's arm. "Please hold _still_. It's _merely_ a _tranquilizer_ ," he snarled in a mocking tone. She felt a needle jab into her skin.

"Tifa, it's Tifa, Cloud!...Please..." she rasped. Tifa felt him fall still, then his eyes began examining her, past the soup splatter. She couldn't see his face, but his eyes went from something hard and cruel to bewilderment and guilt in an instant. He looked down and she felt the needle being pulled out of her arm and him cursing sharply to himself.

"Oh Gods, Tifa...What are you doing in here?" He had torn a piece of fabric from the suit and held it against the injection site.

She felt woozy. "Cloud..." She took in a few heavy breaths. "I wanted to..."

Cloud ripped off the mask, giving her more air to breathe. His hand held the back of her head, sore from the short skirmish. "I didn't know it was you, Tifa...I thought you were a nurse or a doctor...Teef..."

She swallowed heavily. "I'm sorry." Tifa sucked in a breath, the tranquilizer clouding her mind and making it hard to keep her eyes open. She shook her head. "I'm sorry I..." She didn't know if she finished her apology, Cloud's sad blue eyes fading as she fell away from consciousness.

* * *

"Tifa? Tifa!" Cloud shook her a few times, but she was completely knocked out. He hadn't put the entire syringe in her, but enough was coursing through her that she was unresponsive. He looked about and finally noticed the scent of food and the splattered soup everywhere, a chunk of bread laying by the table and a strawberry milk carton busted and leaking on the floor. A terrible guilt coursed through him as he stared at the leaking container, then back at her.

Had he broken his promise?

Cloud very gently put Tifa down and tore off the rest of the suit. He noticed the blanket on the table and took it, using it to secure his scrubs to his body, then stood up and picked up the metal chest binding that clattered to the floor earlier. He bent it straight with his foot, then picked up Tifa with his free arm and hoisted her onto his shoulder. He was getting out of here, and Tifa was going to come with him before they did anything to her next.

He thought about the children and bit his lip worriedly, but he knew Barret wouldn't let them do anything to Denzel and Marlene. It made him feel _expendable_ again, but at least the kids would be alright. Pressing the button to the door he clumsily made his way out, Tifa's body blocking his left field of vision. Again he pressed a button on the wall after he strode through the prep room, then he looked about the hall.

He tensed and narrowed his eyes as several soldiers began to converge towards him from the right side of the hall. Cloud quickly leaned Tifa on the wall next to the door, and leaped at the soldiers as they took out their guns, knocking them against the sides of their heads with the makeshift weapon he gripped in his hand. Their helmets kept him from knocking them out immediately, but he cracked one in between their shoulder and their neck, and a hard gut punch to the other dropped them to the ground.

"Mr. Strife, please...!"

"Pleading after you stuck me to that table? Go to hell." He knocked them both out with a strong punch to the face, one after the other. As much as he wanted to use his full strength, he didn't think anyone would appreciate gray matter on the floor, and these were just grunts. Nobodies.

After making sure they were down for the count, he took a helmet and one of their jackets, then looked about as he put them on. Cameras. There were going to be more soldiers soon. He took a rifle and rested it over his back, then went back to Tifa to carefully pick her back up. She looked so fragile to Cloud, and something painful panged in his chest.

How could he have done such a thing to Tifa? Cloud couldn't help but cringe as the images played back in his head, how he had lunged at her, how he had knocked her to the ground and stabbed her with a needle. That was for those others, not Tifa. No matter that she had helped put him in this predicament, it surely was not the end she pictured for him.

He had no time to dwell on it. He walked the opposite way the soldiers had come, then quickened his pace. As he jogged down the hall, he heard footsteps from the stairwell he had been approaching, and he stopped to assess the situation. It was fifteen feet ahead and partially obscured by the hallway he was in. A stairwell would be good if he could get the soldiers out of the way. _How many would there be?_ However many there were, they were getting closer.

He put Tifa down again, then dashed towards the sound, stopping at the end of the hallway to watch for any movement. No one was at the top yet. He looked down the other hall. There was the sound of footsteps and a few figures in the distance making their way towards him. Cloud darted towards Tifa to pick her up, then ran towards the stairwell.

A few moments later, and three soldiers came shouting over the top of the stairs, and Cloud lunged at them like a wild animal. He used the dented metal beam to push them down the steps as he caught them off guard; one of them shot off their rifle and hit him in the shoulder.

"Careful! You'll shoot the hostage!"

Grunting in pain he dropped his makeshift weapon, and moved Tifa into his arms. He looked down the stairwell. There was several lines of soldiers coming up the steps and some sounds from the steps above him as they all converged. He counted three stories to the bottom, and he adjusted his hold on Tifa, making sure her head and neck wouldn't be jostled during the landing.

His thumb stroked her cheek. "Hang on, Tifa."

Cloud jumped and balanced on the railing, then fell into the space between the stairs, all the while hearing their shouts of surprise. He adjusted his feet for the landing, but he knew in his weakened state it was still going to be rough. Without his boots on, he figured he might break a few toes, but it was a risk he had to take, because he was _never_ going back in there again.

Tifa wasn't going in there, either.

The white tile came surprisingly fast. Landing, he immediately collapsed to his knees while holding Tifa tight against his chest. Cloud was pretty sure his left foot took the majority of his weight, because it was burning with pain. He grimaced and huffed through his nose as a small wave of pain ran into his ankle. Not his best landing, he could say that much.

Shouts and a shrill scream from the lobby snapped him back into reality, and he stumbled back to his burning feet and towards the sunlight shining out of the glass doors. Despite it being a spacious area with plants and neutral colored stone, the place was making him feel claustrophobic. He needed more space, an open sky. His foot impeded his progress, but he pushed on, the thought of him or Tifa stuck in that place forever pumping adrenaline through his body.

There were plenty of people in the lobby, but Cloud barely noticed them. They scrambled to get out of his way as he dashed towards the glass door entrance of the WRO building, freedom so close he could taste it. He was sure the secretary was screaming at him. Or maybe it was at a guard to do something. He wasn't sure, because freedom was more important that her commands at the moment.

 _Pink-Plap-plap-plap-plap-pink-pink-pink-plap-plap-plap—_

Bursting through the doors he took in a deep lungful of the muggy city air; almost free! Almost free, almost free...He stumbled forward and knotted his brows as his vision began to cloud, ovals of color moving and stopping all around him, spinning faster and faster and making his still empty stomach churn. With exaggerated movements he placed Tifa on the ground and gave his backside a few pats; he pulled on something that was near his spine that the rifle hadn't blocked. "Shit..."

 _Pink_

Something pricked his bottom as he held himself up with his hands and knees on the sidewalk, gasping and struggling to stay awake. Another wave of nausea came to him as the world spun violently. A clicking noise came closer, the tap of high heels, then boots. _No. Not again. Not this._ He was so close!

"Take them both to lab 1A," said a young, female voice. Cloud would have thought it a pleasant voice if it wasn't coming from a scientist. Scientists were almost always ugly inside. Ugly, evil, not human.

 _No no no no no no no no no more labs no more experiments please please please—_

"The woman, too?" asked a male voice.

"Yes. Restrain them both, the male with multiple metal bands. I suppose we didn't hold him down well enough on the last table," she sighed.

"We're not your property," Cloud wheezed out before gasping again. "I'm not a lab rat...!" he gritted out, falling on Tifa and laying an arm over her. His situation disgusted him. He was Zack and Tifa was him, but unlike Zack he failed to protect who he considered his best friend. A failure.

He felt a gloved hand run through the spikes on the side of his head, his helmet clattering to the ground. "The WRO needs you to cooperate, Mr. Strife. Until the alien is captured, we don't have a choice."

Cloud tried to jerk his head back as it rested on Tifa's abdomen, his scalp grinding on the hard surface of the sidewalk. The tranquilizers were making him feel warm. Or maybe it was the sun? He missed the sun. He missed the kids. He missed Tifa and all of his friends. He missed Edge and the countryside and the rivers and beach and chocobos...

And soon he didn't miss anything at all, as darkness swept over him, and he began falling into nothingness again.


	10. Chicanery Abounds

Cait Sith sneaked into the meteorite compound. It was dark outside and the scientists working on discovering its mysteries had already left, leaving a contingent of soldiers to fight off wandering monsters that seemed attracted to the large rock. The robot peeked this way and that, then tip-toed towards the meteorite.

His handler watched through his slit eyes as he rounded the bulbous, giant rock, and he was looking for one thing: Adamantite.

Rufus had contacted him through Elena, the Turk communicating with him through code he remembered from his days as a Shinra executive that they needed to talk. They met in a busy cafe where he was briefed on the situation, the woman dressed as his date. Everything was so unsettling.

The Shinra had the alien, and were adverse to letting it get into WRO hands under the circumstances. Rufus trusted Reeve, but not this new council, and Reeve couldn't blame him after his mid-morning talk with his friend. After Barret had explained what they had done to Cloud he had protested but was merely given assurances he would be treated better. He had personally seen to it that Tifa would see him during lunch.

During Reeve's lunch it turned out Cloud had tried to make an escape while dragging Tifa's unconscious body through the doors of the building after jumping three stories to the lobby below. He had made it outside only to succumb to more tranquilizers, then transported to another, more secure area with Tifa.

He had demanded to see them both but to no avail, his situation frustrating with the lack of power over it. These were his friends being affected, and he did not trust those left in charge to properly handle the situation with Cloud. He wondered if they were trying to goad him into doing something if just to prove he's dangerous; they may have succeeded. Several soldiers had been injured during his break out and he had injected Tifa with tranquilizers that were meant for SOLDIER members and large monsters.

Why would he do such a thing to Tifa?

Sneaking further towards the opening Cait Sith ducked into a ditch made of dirt, watching as a pair of soldiers walked by on a patrol. The robot let them pass before pulling himself out of his hiding spot and making a break for the entrance of the meteorite. He had been in here several times already to check for anything dangerous inside and knew the passage well enough to transverse in the dark.

Several turns through a twisting tunnel later and he was in the main chamber, the pale purple glow of the the structure in the middle of it illuminating the room. Cait Sith looked about before settling for an area opposite the opening, looking for some hint of the stone or metal he was tasked to find. He moved about several rocks and some piles of gravel in search of the elusive material.

"Where could it be? If'n it be a lot o' it, should'ne be a sign o' it?" he mumbled to himself. A few promising pieces could be found however; jagged and a richer purple than the light that shone pale in the cavern. Cait Sith gathered the dozen pieces and placed them in a pocket hidden inside his chest fur.

The cat checked the next corner, and found it more difficult to see with a pillar of stone blocking the light. A pebble here and there, but not a large chunk that could be taken away to test if it would stop the monsters from trying to gather around the meteorite. That had given Reeve chills, reminding him of Jenova's Reunion instinct.

Cait Sith circled the pillar to look on the other side, eyeing the portal as he passed by. The light occasionally pulsed brighter, but for the most part swirled in peace. He wondered if anything would eventually come out of it, but hoped it would stay dormant. One potentially world ending alien was plenty for him.

He still wasn't certain if he could trust Rufus under the circumstances. Not because of Shinra's past, but because he had the alien with him. Still, it was willing to part with some knowledge on the meteorite, and if enough of this Adamantium could be moved away from the rest there was a chance the monsters would go elsewhere.

But how much was enough?

The scant bits he had were light in his hands before stuffing them away. Cait Sith needed a lump, however. He checked one last corner, disappointed. "If'n nae tha ground..." He looked up.

He groaned. There was nothing there. Cait Sith kicked the dusty ground in frustration, looking down at the portal. Then he lifted his eyes towards the pillar, a glimmer halfway up catching his eye. He moved a few paces to get a better look, the deep violet scintillating. "Och!"

Cait Sith ran up to the pillar and looked for a place to begin his climb up. He slid down several times before finding a spot that would hold a foot, then a place for a gloved hand. The cat pushed up and stretched, trying to grab the strange material. "So close!"

He looked about with a foot for another spot to place a foot. After a minute he found a very stubby ledge, an inch wide and crumbling. Cait Sith counted from three to one and used the small space to shoot up and grab the jagged Adamantite, holding on and suspended four feet in the air. Not much air for a human, but Cait Sith was a small robot.

The Adamantite moved ever so slightly, and Cait Sith bounced his body to jostle it out of the pillar. His legs kicked the air and he tried to swing a little, getting it to move some more again. With a strained squeak of a grunt he swung his feet onto the pillar, then pushed away while holding the Adamantite. It popped free, and both went tumbling to the ground, the Adamantite landing on the inactive portal.

Cait Sith and his handler both tensed before standing up and warily approaching the portal. The light it emitted seemed richer, and neither Reeve nor the AI thought it a good thing. Unknown things in a strange place was bad, because it meant something could happen, and the last thing anyone needed was anything else happening.

Cautiously the cat stood at the edge of the purple portal and slowly reached and hovered his hands towards the material that bothered it so. With a sudden movement he grabbed and jerked the Adamantite away, letting out a squeak of relief before examining the strange substance. It was a little larger than his head, and rather lightweight. The AI appreciated that it wasn't a heavy load he would be dragging back to his handler.

As quickly as he could he made his way through the tunnel, stopping only once to turn back as a bright light issued from behind him. Cait Sith waited a few moments, but heard nothing. Heading back out, he watched from the darkness of the entrance as soldiers patrolled one way or another.

Watching for several minutes he tensed as their pattern gave him an opening, and he ran out and around the meteorite, dashing away until he saw two soldiers, backs still turned to him. He looked about and found the ditch he had used earlier and jumped into it, keeping his head down and listening for them to eventually pass.

"H-Hey!"

"This is a restricted area, civilians-"

"As if I need yer permission to walk about, scallywags!" Cait Sith heard a pair of footsteps walk closer. "Now, where'd that cat fairy go off to?" The footsteps walked off.

Cait Sith stood still for half a minute, looking at the frozen soldiers then sneaked behind them before running off towards Reeve as fast as he could. He slid down the incline towards the road into Edge, looking about for that new person.

Who was that? They did the exact same thing Bartz had done to Cloud and Tifa.

Maybe Bartz had some answers, if he wasn't loathe to give them to Rufus. Reeve hoped to the Planet that if Bartz was friendly so was this new one. He had to stay rational. No one died by their hands, yet. He was willing to take that as a good sign, but he had to know who this new one was without causing harm to them or others if it could be helped.

Without his watchful eye he was incredibly wary of the science department. More so after Cloud's treatment. It irked Reeve; he felt as helpless as he did while under President Shinra. His friends were in possible jeopardy and he was helpless to stop it. So, he decided to go on this hunt for Adamantite to do something, anything, to push everything forward.

He looked to his left as Cait Sith jogged towards him, holding a spiny looking lump of what must be Adamantium. The cat lifted it towards Reeve, who took it in both hands and examined it in the dark. Lightweight with sharp edges, it was a curious thing he held reverently. Cait Sith climbed onto his shoulder as Reeve silently left the alley he hid in, walking towards his car. He would look over the smaller samples first, and hold this piece in a safe place.

Hopefully it was enough to keep the compound from being overrun.

Reeve drove off towards the WRO building after securing the large piece in a container in his trunk, ready to test out the smaller pieces acquired by Cait Sith when he was home, for now he had to sort out the mess with Cloud and Tifa and somehow get in to speak to them. He looked about for any strange looking persons, taking a road that was near the crash site, but they were nowhere to be seen. Biting his lip he looked at Cait Sith. "Mind looking for that stranger?"

Cait Sith gave a salute. "Aye'll keep a look oot!" The car stopped and the cat took out his Adamantium samples, then skittered out into the wastes, disappearing into the darkness. Reeve quietly wished him luck before driving off to his destination.

Making it to his office he looked over the Adamantium in the light of his desk's lamp. It was a curious purple color, the shade deep and rich and the edges jagged. Not quite like a thorn, not enough to draw blood, but enough to be slightly uncomfortable to the touch when he held the large piece.

Reeve placed them in a small bag before stuffing it in a pocket on the inside of his suit. Elena would want a sample, and if he could determine it wasn't dangerous to do so he just might gift her that. The reaction on the portal had the hairs on the back of Reeve's head on end still; he wondered if that could have possibly summoned that unknown person.

What a strange person it was! Despite not getting a look at the face, the voice was for all intents and purposes rather androgynous, and again they did not harm or kill off the bat. Reeve took it as a good sign, and he hoped it meant they truly were a benevolent alien race after all. He huffed humorlessly; Cloud would be sour at him for a very long time if it turned out to be true. He would have been held without his permission for absolutely no reason. _'At least everything would be alright.'_

Reeve tapped his hands on his desk before anxiously standing up and moving towards the door. He needed to talk to the science department about Cloud and Tifa before any went home for the night. Not that many of them went home at this hour, but he would rather be on the safe side in case one of them felt like retiring early.

He traveled to the science department floor and waited in the main office for one of the lead scientists to come out and speak to him after using the wall phone. In charge or not, he still had clout to swing and he wasn't afraid to use it. His friends were counting on him. He looked about the clean white room, slowly becoming more impatient as the minutes wore on. What was taking him so long?

Reeve chewed on his lip as he stood there, eyes burning holes into the door that lead to various labs. These weren't the ones Cloud had been stowed away in, and the one he and Tifa apparently were being held at were in an underground facility below the building that was used for highly dangerous subjects. Subjects like Makonoids and insane SOLDIERs or perhaps a stray Deepground member that hadn't been killed in the clash. Or Jenova like aliens.

Not them. It was never meant for them.

"President Tuesti?"

He was startled by the elderly voice. It was Professor Gahnt, a short and generally cheerful scientist, his face dour tonight. He held a small box in one hand and a handkerchief in another. Reeve liked him; he had been a doctor at one point but wanted to work on medical research to assist the Planet's population. Reeve gave him a curt nod, though he raised a brow. He was not one of the lead scientists. "I'd like to see Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart immediately."

Gahnt's face paled and he stuttered. "I...I don't know why they sent me to tell you-"

"Tell me what?"

The professor took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. "Cowards. They won't see you themselves, so they have me do it." he sounded disgusted, and he looked towards the floor for a few moments before looking up at Reeve and shaking his head. "They didn't make it."

It felt as if time had stopped and there was a faint ringing in his ears. Reeve eventually composed himself, though his mouth moved a few times before words followed. "What do you mean?" he said quietly.

Gahnt sighed, shaking his head. "They said that the two became unstable during an extensive biopsy, to see the extent of infection-"

"There were no noticeable signs of infection!" Reeve yelled out, one hand in a held up fist. His breathing quickened and he began to pace. "Who the hell allowed a biopsy?" He felt like a knife had stabbed him in the heart. This was all wrong!

The professor was silent a moment. "Svete. I was informed that all the proper paperwork was passed through the appropriate channels-"

Reeve stopped pacing to glare at the elderly scientist. "I don't give a damn about the paperwork. Those two _did not_ deserve this. Not at all. We aren't Shinra, damn it, do you understand?"

"I do understand, President Tuesti. I feel the exact same way." He wiped his brow again. "I came here to help research cures for illnesses, not to watch so called 'scientists' butcher people on an operating table 'just in case'. I'm so terribly sorry, Reeve." he whispered. "This is getting far out of hand and there's not a damn thing to show for it."

Reeve stared at Gahnt. Not out of anger towards him but a mutual grief; this was not how the WRO was supposed to be and both knew it, even if there were aliens on the loose. He had lost two of his dearest friends and the organization he built to help the world to persons indifferent to those they effected.

For the greater good, he was sure.

"What about the bodies?" He and their friends would want to see them for closure and hopefully a proper burial fit for two warriors that saved the Planet.

Gahnt cringed. "I was also to inform you that for the sake of safety, their bodies were promptly disposed of through incineration."

Reeve looked at him wild eyed. "They..." There would be no closure. He spun around to leave.

"Mr. Tuesti."

"What?"

"I found this before it was sent to storage."

Reeve turned around, a black box held up towards him. He took it and looked inside, then closed it. He nodded in thanks at the sad little scientist before swallowing heavily and blinking quickly. Leaving the office he made his way towards the room the children and Yuffie were still being held at. He hoped Barret was still there. Or maybe not, considering his temperament.

As luck would have it he was still there, entertaining the children with Yuffie. As the door opened four sets of eyes fell on him and everything was again silent except for the ringing in his ears. They wanted answers to questions just as he had wanted. His eyes fell on the children and his jaw tensed; Denzel lost his family again. Were his parents and Ruvie, his mother, not enough loss?

"Where's Tifa?" Marlene asked.

"Is Cloud okay?" Denzel said. He was studying Reeve intently.

"Ah...I need to speak to Barret and Yuffie, you two." He motioned for them to come with him as he went back into the hall, waiting.

"Reeve, what the hell is going on?" Yuffie asked as the door shut behind them. "I know Cloud tried to imitate my ninja skills and tried to take Tifa with him, but she hasn't come back and there's no word on Spike."

Barret grumbled a sigh. "I'm gonna kick that spiky headed jack ass from here to Junon next I see 'em."

Reeve couldn't look them in the eye. He felt partly to blame for all this, for not controlling what was his. "They're dead." he said quietly.

"That's not funny." Yuffie replied curtly.

"I wish I was being funny." He dared to bring his eyes to Yuffie's. "They killed them."

"You're bull shittin' us, man."

Reeve's eyes looked up at Barret. His dark face was reddening. He handed Barret the box. "That's what's left."

Barret frowned at the box, then opened it up. His breath became deep and angry. "What the fuck happened, Reeve?" he demanded, his voice raised.

"I was told...I was told they became unstable during a biopsy, and then...they cremated the remains afterwards. For safety's sake, of course." His voice dripped with disgust.

Yuffie was peeking into the box as Reeve spoke, and her eyes grew watery. "Just like that, huh? Just..." She held her hands to her face and shook her head. "This...Cloud...Tifa..." Her shoulders quivered and her nose sniffled. "I...I didn't know this would..."

"Neither did I." Reeve replied grimly. "Hold it on my shoulders, Yuffie. Not yours."

"Stupid alien...all because he _might_ be infected. Maybe! Just maybe!" Yuffie leaned against the wall and slid down. her hands leaving her face. Tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Stupid spiky headed jerk...Tifa..." Her breath quivered as she spoke. She never got to tell them how much she looked up to them.

Barret quietly stared into the box as Yuffie continued to ramble and cry. Two of his best friends, the ones he entrusted Marlene to so she had a strong and solid family he couldn't give by himself, were gone. Gone at the whims of a department given free reign by people who weren't Reeve. Was Marlene and Denzel next? What about Yuffie? He left Reeve and Yuffie to talk to the children.

They were on a cot, Denzel holding Marlene to his chest. She was crying into his shirt, and he cried silently, letting tears run down his cheeks. Barret walked over, then sat next to them. He put his arm around Denzel's shoulders, his other hand holding the box.

"Why would they treat them like that?" Denzel whispered. "He was a hero...Tifa was, too."

"Lotta people don't care 'bout none o' that." Barret replied.

Denzel sniffled. "Cloud wasn't infected by that alien. I believe him."

Barret thought back to earlier, that morning. The tests were negative for anything at all, even new cells, yet they kept him there. "Maybe he was right."

The boy looked up at him with watery eyes. "Wasn't there anything that coulda been done?"

"I...I don't know. Everything is so messed up right now."

"I want Cloud and Tifa..." Denzel whimpered.

"Me too." Marlene sniffled into his chest.

Barret bit his lip, then held out the box. "Here's Cloud and Tifa."

Marlene lifted her head and Denzel took the box, almost reverent. Barret stood up and nodded. "You best be damn sure we gettin' our revenge for this, kids. I ain't lettin' this go, I promise you that. They was damned good people, and I..." He looked away, taking a steady breath. "Be careful with that box, you two." He left the room to tend to Yuffie and talk to Reeve.

The two children looked at the little black box. It wasn't very heavy at all. This held their guardians? Denzel licked his lips before opening the lid, and was greeted to two piles of ash, a separator keeping them from mingling.

One had a silver wolf ring, the other a silver wolf ear stud.


	11. Unusual Appearances

Cait Sith roamed about the Wastes, looking about for any sign of the unknown alien that would soon be searched for by the WRO. Reeve was depending on him to find it first. It couldn't have gone far, and he knew which way he saw it go, unless it decided to turn towards Edge, whih it might do. The cat remembered that it wondered where he had gone, calling him a cat fairy...

"Hallo, oot there! Anyone oot there lookin' for a wee cat?!" he shouted. His voice echoed through the Wastes.

He frowned, straining his ears to hear something, anything back. There was no answer back, so he decided he would look for higher ground to scout on the area better. The robot was small, and small helped him hide. He needed to be seen, needed to get the alien's attention. It wasn't like it could assimilate him at all, anyway. Or so he hoped.

Spying a large rock that could aid him the cat ran towards it in the moonlight, the dark shadows cast by the soft light ominous when it could be hiding monsters or a cranky alien. Cait Sith clamored up a side after sliding off a few times, having to navigate the side of the rock as the first face was far too smooth.

Reaching the top he estimated hit to be around seven feet tall, and he turned about, taking in the sight of the Wastes, Edge, and Midgar. The meteorite loomed ominously in the distance, lights dancing about and the sound of a helicopter churning in the distance. He was running out of time.

"Och! Are yeh afraid o' a wee little cat?" he yelled into the night. "Prissy pants!"

Cait Sith looked about again, not seeing a trace of movement. Disappointed he slid back down the rock. He wondered where an alien would head, and decided that the city would probably look like the most appealing place for miles. Bartz disappeared into the wastes after being chased by Cloud, and if no one had showed up he more than likely would have made his way into Edge instead.

He headed that way, occasionally feeling Reeve watching through his eyes. Cait Sith looked about once in a while for both the alien and WRO personnel that might be searching the same as he was. He stomped towards the city for several minutes, then paused as he heard the sound of a pebble skidding on the ground.

The cat spun around to nothing.

He grumbled. "Are ye too coward tae face me? Come oot 'ere!" Cait Sith stood still for a long while, waiting. He glanced to his side and watched as soldiers slowly made their way towards their position, still far away but they were gaining. His mission was in jeopardy.

Spinning around he charged towards the city, and soon heard footsteps behind him. It reminded him of Yuffie as she tried to be sneaky. This was fine, if it was the alien it meant they were following him and not meandering towards the troops. "That's right, sweetheart...follow the cat fairy!"

Cait Sith heard a growl behind him and the footsteps quickened. Before he could look back something grabbed his cape and lifted him up off the ground, the being slowing down to a stop. The fabric of his cape twisted and his captor came into view.

"Call me a coward n' a sweetheart, cat?!"

He couldn't make out everything in the moonlight, but it was clearly androgynous with long hair held away by a bandana on their forehead. They were dressed strangely, just as Bartz was described to have dressed in some fantasy garb, this one wearing some sort of tunic and mantle. It looked rather sour.

"Aye, lassy. Lookin' fer someone oot here?" he pried.

"What's it to you?" There was a knife on Cait Sith's belly. This was definitely not a very friendly alien.

There was a click behind the alien, the sound of a gun. Then a low growl. Cait Sith tried moving his head to see who it was, but it was useless. The alien grimaced and tensed.

A very familiar, deep voice spoke. "Put the cat down."

"And lose me hostage? I got no problem guttin' the fairy."

"Two against one is terrible odds for you." Came another low, growling voice.

Cait Sith coughed to get everyone's attention. "Let's be reasonable, everyone. Vincent, Nanaki, it's alright." The alien turned around slowly, and so Cait Sith's friends came into view. They were eyeing the alien, their gazes full of quiet hostility. Vincent slowly moved a step back but kept his gun trained on the stranger. Cait Sith waved his hands despite the knife still poking his fur. "Aye was lookin' fer this alien."

Nanaki narrowed his eye, the tip of his tail glowing bright as it swished threateningly. "The thing that fell from the sky."

"No, he left already." Cait Sith replied. "I dinnae this one's name, but the first one was named Bartz." He looked at the alien, who lowered their weapon and stared at the cat.

"Ye know Bartz?"

"Aye. Or, I know who has 'em. He's safe, but yeh'll not see 'em if yer gonna fight any o' us. I promise we won't harm ye, lass."

The alien hesitated a few moments, then put the robot down on the ground. "Where be Bartz? I came lookin' for him. Didn't expect the lad to disappear to a strange world with talkin' beasts and endless desert!" She looked around, occasionally eyeing Nanaki and Vincent.

Cait Sith frowned, he hadn't felt Reeve's presence for a while. "First thing's first, we need tae get ye oot of here before those troopers find ye!"

Nanaki growled. "You'll let this thing run free?" He cautiously went up to sniff, the alien kicking at the air to get him away. The beast snarled and swished his tail, ready to pounce.

"Yer a thing, not I, beast!"

"Cait Sith, what is the meaning of this?" Vincent asked. His voice was calm as always, but there was a layer of suspicion the cat picked up.

"Things are more complex than they seem, laddy." The AI felt Reeve again, but something was off, something was wrong. "Go to Seventh Heaven. I'll explain everything there."

Vincent put his gun down. "What happened?"

"A lot, Vincent."

"Looks like I got no choice if I'm to find Bartz. Lead the way, cat fairy."

Cait Sith began guiding the group towards the city before the soldiers could come across them. "The name's Cait Sith, lassy!"

The alien grunted. "I be Faris, the dread pirate captain!"

Vincent blinked. "...A pirate."

"I'm stuck with a vampire, a beast and a fairy. I think a pirate captain be the least fantastical of this group." Faris remarked.

Vincent sighed. "I'm not a vampire."

"Coulda fooled me. Yer name be Vincent?" she asked in a bid to remember their names.

"Yes." he replied tersely.

"And I am Nanaki." said the beast. He trotted to Faris' side, watching her suspiciously. "What happened, Cait Sith? Why are aliens allowed to roam free?"

"Reeve doesn't want me to say. Not yet. He's hiding something from me, I can feel it..." Cait Sith let out a sigh. "He said Barret n' Yuffie'll be there."

"What about Cloud and Tifa?" Vincent asked.

"Last I heard they were being held in the WRO building."

Nanaki's eye widened. "Why?"

"Potentially infected..." Cait Sith replied quietly.

Faris looked down at the cat. "Infected with what?"

"Bartz."

"How the hell would anyone be infected with Bartz? He's not an illness. A pain in the arse once in a while, but not a sickness. What, are ye friends sufferin' the sniffles or somethin'?"

The group fell silent, Faris feeling uncomfortable as they walked quietly into the strange city of giant stone and metal pillars with glowing lights pouring every which way. "What kinda place is this?"

"It's a city. It's called Edge." Cait Sith replied. He glanced up at Faris. "Dinnae see anythin' like it before?"

Faris looked around again. "No...Are the lights magic?"

"Electricity." Vincent replied.

"Eh?"

Nanaki growled. "Like lightning but controlled." He brought his nose close to inspect her scent. His face warped into a frown.

"Ye lost me."

Nanaki snorted. "She smells of the ocean...hm. Not a trace of that stench..." He flicked an ear, intrigued.

Cait Sith paused, looking down. He could feel Reeve again. "Somethin' happened. I dinnae what but..."

"Something happened?" Vincent asked.

Cait Sith continued on. "He's upset. I can feel it, laddy. Never felt him so...or maybe I did, once."

Nanaki stiffened. "Then we should hurry."

* * *

It hadn't quite hit any of them fully, even though the piles of ash and jewelry were resting peacefully in that box Denzel held tightly as if a priceless treasure. The two children looked at the empty bar, familiar but now so alien and empty. Tifa wasn't behind the counter, serving customers or cleaning the counter. Cloud wasn't sitting on his favorite stool, eating a late dinner or showing them his maps.

As the adults situated themselves in the bar Denzel and Marlene walked upstairs. Every step they took rang loud in their ears, and they turned into the hallway towards Cloud and Tifa's room. Marlene turned on the lights, soft and...the room was so empty to them.

Denzel placed the box on the middle of the bed, then scooted onto Cloud's side. Marlene joined him on Tifa's side, both laying their heads on the pillows and a hand each on the box. They could smell their guardian's unique scents, faded after their time away from home but still distinctly there. Soon, it would be gone, just like them. No more of Tifa's heavy, floral trail of roses and lavender, with those hints of leather from her clothing and fighting gloves. No more of Cloud's scent of musk, lilies, grass and mako.

Denzel shoved his face into the pillow, savoring the comforting smell. Cloud saved him from the slums as he collapsed from Geostigma, despite the faint possibility it was infectious. He taught him about the world, the many places he had visited even while he worked on his routes. Cloud would bring back gifts from around the world, and he would fight for them, his family, when he needed to, without a second thought. Denzel looked up to him as a hero, as someone he wanted to be like some day.

Marlene started to quietly cry into Tifa's pillow, her breaths quaking as she gasped them into the pillow. She had been her mother figure for as long as she could remember, the two meeting in the slums when Barret first met the bartender. Tifa took to her quickly, tending to her when her adoptive father could not. Marlene worried about them both as they went to save the Planet, after the flower girl saved her from the Sector Seven plate collapse. She loved helping Tifa around the bar, sampling new juices to sell to youngsters and greeting customers. Tifa made sure they had food and clean clothing and a shoulder to cry on.

"I don't know what to do." Marlene said in a meek, quivering voice. "Cloud and Tifa can't be gone." she let out a hiccup as she rubbed at her wet, bloodshot eyes.

Denzel lifted his head and wiped his nose. "They're right there." He pointed at the box, then lifted himself up to hold it. "Adults always...go away." This time it wasn't because of Shinra or Geostigma but because of scientists, paranoia and inaction by their own friends. He was sad, but he was getting angry, too. His family was taken away from him yet again, and now he wasn't sure what the future held for he and Marlene. Would Barret take them both in, would they be separated? He didn't want to leave Seventh Heaven, this was his home.

He was angry. Angry at the people downstairs, angry at himself for being too young and helpless to stop anything. Angry at the alien, angry at the WRO. They did this to Cloud, they did this to Tifa. After everything they had done for the Planet, this is how they met their end. Not through a glorious battle, not in the process of saving others, through something called a biopsy. He wanted to throw something, but the things in this room were now infinitely precious to him.

Denzel lifted the lid of the box, examining the ash and specifically Cloud's wolf stud. Reverently he plucked it out of the pile and held it in the palm of his hand, swallowing heavily. Marlene looked down at the ash, then back at Denzel.

"If we take the jewelry we won't know which is which."

He shrugged. "We can put them together. I think they'd want that."

Marlene bit her lip, then gently took Tifa's ring. "Yeah."

Denzel put down the box and left the bed. He went down the stairs to the galley as he remembered something he learned from the other kids at school, glancing at the adults as they sat at a table, drinking.

Reeve poured a large glass of whiskey. He had taken off his suit jacket, arms on the table and waiting for Cait Sith to enter with the alien. "He found it...her." He took a large gulp of the drink, sucking his lips in a pucker. The burn that traveled down his throat was welcome.

Barret downed a third of a large bottle of Tifa's Corel wine. Once it was gone, it was gone. This was her unique recipe. "The hell it matter for...we need to get the WRO back on the straight n' narrow after this, not tendin' to aliens. I'm takin' god damn names for this."

"I know. This...this was inexcusable." Reeve said as he looked into his glass. "A lot of my men respected Cloud and Tifa after the Deepground Incident. When they find out..." He let loose a heavy sigh. "...Acting like an ineffective leader. I am an ineffective leader."

"You gonna do somethin' or I'm goin in there and shootin' every last one of those sick bastards! I might as well now, seein' as you gonna just stew over it." Barret replied. He sucked down more of his drink.

"Damn it, Barret! I can't make more of a mess than there already is. The world is on the precipice of chaos because a benign alien slammed into our planet, and I couldn't keep my own organization from throwing me out of a major investigation when it mattered most." Reeve slammed back the rest of his whiskey. "Now that Cloud and Tifa are no longer in the picture," he said with a not so subtle hint of anger, "I think I can take it from here."

"Yeh, you think they gonna let that go. When they find you holdin' aliens they gonna have a field day." Barret stood up and searched for another bottle, sitting back down and popping the top. "I bet you they took all sortsa samples from Cloud. Probably killed Tifa jes to keep down on witnesses to what they're doin'..." he grumbled before slamming his fist on the table. "I shoulda ripped those damn restrainin' bars offa him the moment I saw it! Jes kept tellin' myself it was for the best, but it wasn't my ass on that table."

Yuffie said nothing, only leaning her back on a booth and staring out the window. Her face was wracked with guilt for her part in it all. "We let them down." she whispered. She looked at the two men as they stared at her. "After all the times they helped us, where were we?"

"We didn't know this would happen, Yuffie. An unknown alien comes visiting in a Jenova-like fashion...But this, after nothing horrible happened, after nothing showed up...That's where we let them down." Reeve refilled his glass. "We let ourselves be ruled by fear."

The door opened, Vincent peeking through before opening it further and letting in the group. Cait Sith, Nanaki, and the one known as Faris entered. Reeve eyed the alien; it was a tall woman with long purple hair and emerald eyes. She held herself in a most unlady-like manner, and wore a green bandana and mantle, and a blue tunic.

"Faris, I presume?"

"How'd ye know me name?" she demanded.

Reeve pointed at the cat, then his head. "My name is Reeve Tuesti. Have a seat." He waved his hand towards a chair before downing more whiskey.

Faris shifted on her feet. "S'long as there's drink."

Barret stood up and entered the bar as Faris made herself comfortable. He came back a minute later with a bottle of Corel wine he slammed down in front of her before sitting down and staring at the alien. Unfazed she took the cork off and took a deep gulp, then nodded.

"Now, where's me friend, Bartz?"

"He's in a safe place." Reeve responded.

"Away from those strange lookin' men?" Faris queried. Reeve figured she was speaking of the soldiers by the meteorite.

"Yes. I wish to speak to you later, if you'll allow...I'm still unsure of you and Bartz, though I'm leaning towards the opinion that you aren't what we feared." Later on he would see if their stories matched up. But right now, there were more important matters to be brought up.

Nanaki walked up to the table, tail lazily swishing. "Cait Sith said something was wrong." Indeed he could feel the tension in the air as soon as he entered.

Reeve took a deep, long swig of his drink, then nodded. He told Nanaki and Vincent what had happened, and both Nanaki and Vincent's eyes widened in surprise.

"They...killed..." Vincent looked away, his hands clenching.

"There was nothing you could do?" Nanaki inquired with a deep, sad voice. He had curled up near Reeve, the flame of his tail seemingly dimmed.

"I didn't know. I didn't know they were even planning to do such a thing." Reeve rubbed his temples. "When I found out how they were holding him, I protested. Then he escaped with Tifa, and I couldn't get a hold of anyone..."

Faris scoffed after a sip of her drink. "Ye couldn't save yer friends because yer a coward."

Reeve glared at the newcomer. "Excuse me?"

She pointed at Cait Sith with the tip of her bottle. "You go around hidin' behind a little cat fairy! I wouldn't think ye could save yer friends from anythin'."

Barret scowled at her, pointing his cannon of a gun at the surly pirate. "The hell'd you know! They booted his ass outta the investigation."

Faris seemed nonplussed by the strange gun, and drank from her bottle. "I think yer a coward, too. None o' ye would stand up to a bunch o' scallywags that mutinied and took yer friends from you." She tipped her chair a bit, thinking. "All 'cause you think Bartz is infectious or somethin'. How does that even work?" Nanaki asked her to come with him to the other side of the bar, and he began speaking to her quietly about the situation as the rest of the group fell silent.

Reeve rubbed his temples, finding himself agreeing with the strange woman. He could have told them to go to hell, just like that! The WRO was his fledgling organization, not theirs. Instead he was afraid, given empty assurances by people he never should have trusted in the first place that took advantage of a time of panic.

People that probably weren't worried about infection much in the first place. But they knew he was afraid. Knew everyone was afraid of the alien, the what ifs, the possibilities. He took a deep breath. "Tomorrow I'm taking everything back. It might be too late for them, but I'll see to it that Svete answers to me."

"What about the kids?" Yuffie asked as she stared through the window.

"I'll-" Barret was interrupted by a yelp upstairs and he excused himself. He heard a small cry and Marlene hushing Denzel. His heavy footfalls pounded towards Cloud and Tifa's room and entering it was like coming into contact with a sacred space that he should never have sullied.

Ignoring the pain in his heart he crouched down next to Denzel as he laid on the bed, Marlene kneeling next to him with a shocked look on her face. Her hand held one of Tifa's thicker sewing needles. Barret looked between the needle, Marlene, and Denzel with a perplexed look, his brows knitting together. "Whatchu doin' up here?" he asked gently.

"Papa, I...Denzel wanted Cloud's stud, and um..."

Barret stood up and bent over Denzel to inspect the boy's left ear. He let out a long sniffle, looking between Barret and Marlene. The large gun man cocked his head when he saw a glint of silver, half a potato with a little blood on it and a melting ice cube. a paper towel stained with a few red drops sat crumpled by Marlene's knee. "You two did that yo selves...Looks good on ya, Denzel."

It was a little large still on Denzel's lobe, but Barret was certain it would suit him as the years went by. It was a handsome memento and a reminder that he was Cloud's own one way or another.

Denzel sniffled again, smiling sadly at Barret as he sat up from the pillow. "It's sorta like he's with me." He had the ring gifted to him still around his neck until he was old enough to wear it on his hand, but this stud would be inside him, and in a sense Cloud would be too, he reasoned. Cloud wore the stud every day.

Marlene held the needle still but held out her other hand, Tifa's ring in her palm. "Mama's ring is still too big for me."

Barret plucked it out of Marlene's hand as gently as he could and took a good look at it. "I'll get ya a necklace so you can wear it around your neck, baby girl." The big man sniffled, staring at the precious silver bauble. He looked over the details on it; it was if the fire never touched it.

His sadness turned to confusion, and he frowned. "Kids, I'll be right back." Barret stomped back downstairs.

Some would think Barret just another uneducated hot head from the slums, but it would be a mistake to think that of him. His job was looking for oil fields after all, and that was a specific subset of science. He was more familiar than most with chemistry and geology, if only someone would ask.

It was unsettling how quiet the bar had become. Yuffie had begun weeping again, Reeve sitting next to her with an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder as he nursed another glass of whiskey and Cait Sith on his other side. He was staring off at the other side of the bar, but not really looking at anything. Nanaki sat next to Faris who had found a seat on the floor next to the beast. Barret couldn't make out what they whispered to each other, but Faris' face was sympathetic. His eyes fell on Vincent, who was silently watching everyone in the bar like a guardian.

"Hey, Vincent. Can I talk to you in private?"

Vincent glanced at him from his perch by the wall, then quietly walked towards him as Barret led him to the garage. He turned on the light and shut the door, then handed the ring to his friend. Vincent looked it over, a brow raised. "This is Tifa's ring."

"Yeah. It's silver."

"What about it?"

Barret sighed and rubbed his face with his good hand. "It was in the box, Vincent. The box with their remains."

Vincent blinked, then looked at Barret, then the ring again. He closed his hand around it as he left the garage and walked up the stairs, his friend following close behind. The children looked up at the two as they entered, tenderly holding onto the box.

"May I look?" Vincent asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Please?"

Denzel lifted the box and handed it to him. If Cloud trusted the ex-Turk, then so did they. Vincent gave an approving nod as he very gently lifted the box from the boy's hands, then sat on a chair in the corner. He opened the box and examined the contents for a few moments, the room completely silent.

Then he did something none of them expected. He pulled off his glove with his teeth, his clawed hand holding the box firmly, then took a pinch of the ashes and rubbed it between his fingers. The three others gasped at his actions, but Vincent ignored it. His hand came up to his nose and it gently sniffed the dust sticking to his fingers.

Vincent lowered his hand and stared into the two piles, the sound of his heart beating in his ears and the others breathing the only sounds catching his attention.

"U-Uncle Vincent?" Marlene asked, confused.

Vincent made eye contact with her, then Denzel. The boy looked just as confused and almost agitated, as if to ask the ex-Turk why he dared jam his finger in the remains of his guardians. Finally, his eyes met Barret's, the man holding a pleading stare.

"These aren't cremains."


	12. The Dark Suits

Tifa groaned as she woke up, moving her head this way and that. She couldn't remember what happened or where she was now, but the dream she had right before she came to was fresh in her mind. Another one of those memories, with familiar people fighting with her against Chaos.

It was Zidane again. He was flirty, something she had gotten used to as a barmaid with a large chest, but he wasn't just a flirt. She could tell he genuinely cared about his comrades, including her. How many times had that monkey-tailed young man helped her out in that strange world? Then Kain...

Shaking her head to clear her head she attempted to move her hands, but something restrained them, giving her only a few inches of mobility. It felt like strong leather straps, probably dragon or behemoth hide. Her eyes widened and her mind cleared further, and she lifted her head to take in her environment.

She was in what looked like a laboratory, several steel lined tanks lined up against the wall and still yet empty of whatever fluid they should be filled with. A few counters lined the wall next to her with cabinets above and an array of sharp tools laid out on a metal tray next to a sink. Tifa turned her head and gasped as she saw Cloud, naked and completely bound to the table. There were two metal bands per limb, two on his torso and one on his head. They weren't going to let him escape again.

"Cloud...Cloud...!" She whispered harshly as she put her head down. Tifa kept her face turned to look at him, and it pained her greatly to see him held down like a feral monster. "Cloud, wake up."

"I'll get the kids up, Teef..." he murmured.

She wanted to simultaneously laugh and cry when he said that. "Open your eyes!"

He mumbled something again, but he opened his eyes, blinking a few times and moving them around. "T-Tifa?" She saw him strain against his bonds, his face reddening as he pushed.

"They have you down good, Cloud...I'm not in much better shape than you." Tifa let out a long sigh and eyed the door before looking at him again. "What happened?"

Cloud was silent for a few moments. "I tried to escape after I..." He sucked in as deep a breath as the bindings would allow. "I tried leaving with you. They got us right after I escaped the building." His voice was quiet and full of shame. "I couldn't save you."

That's right, she thought. Now she remembered what happened, he had injected her full of tranquilizer, not knowing it was her. "Where would you have gone if you escaped?"

He sighed. "I don't know, I just had to leave before they did anything else to me. I know I'd eventually look for Bartz again."

Tifa stiffened. "Cloud..."

He tried moving his head to look at her, failing. "He's not like Jenova, and you know it."

"No, I don't know it. But I have my doubts." She let out a wary sigh. It didn't matter if she admitted she was rather doubtful of the alien's malevolence now. She had a much bigger issue and that was the WRO. "Putting us here...What are they going to do to us?"

He hummed in response. "I can't really see what they have in the room. Can you?"

Tifa bit her lip and sighed through her nose, looking around again. "Tanks, sink and cabinet, instruments...two doors. And us."

"...Tanks? What kind of tanks?" he stuttered.

"You know what kind, Cloud. They're still empty..."

"Until they throw you in one, then they fill it full of mako until you can't hear anything but the voices and your lungs burn and-"

"Cloud. Calm down." She was trying to calm down. This is what was running through his head the moment he woke up in that room. _'He had every right to be upset with Yuffie and I.'_ But under the circumstances, what choice did she have? Neither of them knew it would have come to this, ever.

"I'm not going back into one of those things, Tifa." He let out a frustrated sigh. "I wish you and Yuffie would have just talked to me first. Now I'm not even sure if it would have been a good idea for him to surrender." Cloud was flexing his feet and hands, anxious.

"I do too." Tifa put her head back down and let out a quivering sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't think the WRO would ever stoop to this level..."

"I honestly didn't think so, either. When they got me in Walz I expected maybe a room with a cot, not some test on my sanity." He sighed through his nose. "Why on Gaia did they think that was a good idea..."

"You attacked several troops as you tried to escape, Cloud." Tifa pointed out.

Cloud tried to shrug. "Shoulda listened to me."

The door hissed open and Tifa looked up to glare at the two who came into the room; an ordinary WRO soldier with a band designating his rank as a cadet, and a young scientist with wavy, rust colored hair and brown eyes wearing a bio-hazard suit. The soldier stayed put at the door as the scientist examined Tifa, who gave the woman a defiant look.

"How are you feeling?" the scientist asked gently. "You took in a lot of tranquilizer."

"I'd feel better if we weren't being strapped to tables, ma'am." Tifa said with more than a hint of anger.

"It's for your own good." The scientist turned and examined Cloud next. Tifa heard a hocking sound and watched as the scientist dodged his loogie, the spittle landing on a tank. "It seems you still have a bit of fire left in you."

"Go to hell."

"Ma'am, do you need me to handle him for you?" The soldier asked. Tifa could tell he was wary.

She nodded. "Take him into the OR, then discard your gloves." The scientist pointed towards the other door, next to Cloud.

"The OR...?" Cloud started to struggle against his bindings violently, making the table shake and move on the ground slightly. He was breathing quickly and the scientist gave his shoulder a pat.

"You need to stay calm." she pleaded.

"Let me out!" he shouted.

The soldier seemed to pop the brake on an unseen wheel from Tifa's vantage point and began to wheel the enraged, panic stricken delivery boy towards the operating room. "I'll bring in the next patient when my associate returns."

"Tifa!" Cloud yelled before his voice was cut off by the door. The soldier returned and took his gloves off carefully before washing his hands and wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

Tifa glared at the scientist. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Biopsy, Ms. Lockhart. To see how far the infection may have spread." she said flatly, Tifa's face paling. The scientist looked at the soldier. "You can leave now, if you'd like. I'm going to tranquilize the male subject so we can proceed."

"What about her?"

"I just need a little additional preparation before Doctor Nun joins me. I think it would be best if she had a little privacy...?" The scientist looked over at Tifa, the barmaid giving a venomous look. "The biopsy shouldn't take more than three hours, so tell your replacement no distractions, please."

The soldier nodded and left the room possibly in search of his replacement and a hot shower after coming so close to potential infected. The scientist looked over Tifa, who shifted in her bonds. "If you lay a finger on me you're gonna regret it. Reeve will find out about this."

The scientist chuckled as she fiddled with a drawer, a clinking noise coming from within. "Reeve isn't in charge." Tifa could hear Cloud having a mental breakdown in the next room and it sent a chill down her spine as he babbled and threatened and begged incoherently. The scientist came close to Tifa's face, and whispered something chilling. "It's...strange, how eager this council is to see results. So much so that they would allow me, someone who's transferred from Junon about a day ago to do a biopsy on Cloud Strife, of all people." She looked away and continued her search in the drawer. "And permission for you if I needed to see how far the infection had spread in you. There's no telling what that fellow in there could have done to you before he attempted escape." Her voice sounded amused.

"You're sick..." Tifa growled out.

"Scientists tend to be rather sick. For the greater good, of course."

The scientist seemed to find what she was looking for, then she looked about the ceiling. Tifa looked too, noticing several cameras in the corners. A few moments passed and the door opened, another scientist entering. He had a small frame and messy blonde hair behind the mask of his suit, and his friendly, youthful face belied what he was here for.

"Doctor Tian, are you ready?" He had clicked on the wheel lock holding Tifa in place.

"Very." They began to move the table, Tifa struggling on it. They entered, Cloud quieting down a little as Tifa entered.

"Tifa, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I got you caught up in this, I shouldn't have tried to escape, I should have told you what I was doing right away, Tifa...Tifa..." His voice was becoming a hoarse whisper as he continued to call her name. Doctor Tian walked up to him as Doctor Nun secured the door and took stock of the room.

"Cloud Strife." she said, letting it roll off her tongue. He watched her with wild eyes. "I haven't seen you since you went on the run with Zack Fair." The woman tenderly touched his hair. "You've grown."

He stilled, his eyes burning into hers with a raging hate. "You were at the mansion." he growled through his teeth.

"At one point, yes."

Cloud was trembling with rage. "You absolute slime. Wasn't the first time enough for you?!"

"We're good to go!" Doctor Nun said.

Doctor Tian nodded and looked back at Cloud. "Now that that's out of the way we can begin the fun part."

Cloud expected something like a quick incision into his arm, or an injection of a muscle relaxer so they could do a proper examination without him thrashing about. Instead he heard a click near his head, and the metal band lifted from his forehead. Before he had time to process what just happened, he heard another and his chest was free, followed by his feet. "What...?"

Doctor Tian took off her mask and smiled at him before working on his arms. "I...was friends with Zack. My name is Cissnei, and I'm...a sometimes Turk."

"Sometimes...Turk..." He stared at her dumbfounded. A friend of Zack's? "Rufus sent you?"

Cissnei released the last binding, Cloud sitting up and stretching. She couldn't help but beam a little at his newfound freedom from the table. "It seems your little friend made the mistake of heading towards Healen Lodge while trying to find you." She pulled off the rest of the bio-hazard suit, revealing a scientist's outfit.

"He found Bartz?"

The blonde Turk spoke up as he took his bio-hazard suit off, Tifa standing up from the examination table and looking completely stunned. "Yeah, and you'll get to hear that story later. Rufus sent us to rescue you, but seeing as how you decided to escape a little early Ms. Lockhart is going to be joining us."

"What about the kids?" Tifa asked.

"Barret and Yuffie can watch them while we're gone." Cloud said. "They'll be safe with them around." He rubbed his wrist as he stood up off the table and looked at Cissnei. "Who is this council that's in charge?"

She bit her lip before answering, cheeks burning. "Some of them are old colleagues of Hojo. Others are just paranoid executives of the WRO who're worried your ties with Reeve would get in the way. One seems to rule the roost, his name is Svete, and he's a bit mysterious to say the least."

Cloud rubbed his face. "Great."

"Well, Elena can tell you more later. Um, we have a change of clothing for you both..." Cissnei walked over to a metal cabinet and pulled out two large paper bags, then placed them on the examination table Cloud had rested on. "We'll give you two some privacy!" Cissnei pulled the other Turk towards her to fiddle at something in the wall.

Cloud looked down at himself and blushed. He had been so caught up with not being locked down and cut up that he had forgotten he was completely naked. He blushed from mild embarrassment. Tifa walked over to him and looked through one of the bags, filled with women's clothing. He took the other bag and quickly scrounged around for a pair of boxers.

Tifa looked pensive as she took off her flimsy scrubs and donned the clothing given to her. "I still-" she began, Cloud cutting her off.

"...I don't blame you for this, Teef. Or Yuffie. Mostly." Cloud zipped up his jeans and put his arm through a grey plaid button up shirt. He still felt tense despite his freedom.

Tifa straightened out the white blouse on her chest, then pulled up the red skirt at her feet. "If only Reeve hadn't been pushed out of this, this could have all been avoided." She put on the sandals that were waiting for her in the bag, then the black hoody. Cloud put his on after tying up his sneakers.

"We're ready." Cloud said.

Cissnei looked over and nodded. "Reeve has no idea about this, and he might not for a little while. Fortunately, we're privy to the secret passage ways he had built in to the building." The other Turk pressed an unseen button and the wall gave way to a low lit tunnel.

"Shouldn't he know?" Tifa inquired as they began following the Turks.

"Not just yet. We're going to try and contact him tonight or tomorrow in person so he knows you're alright...We have to be careful. If the council finds out about this too soon it's going to make it difficult for Reeve to reassert power." said the male Turk.

Cloud huffed and nodded. "And we'd be right back at square one." he frowned. "The kids, though..."

"I don't know if they'd believe it," Tifa mused as they went further into the tunnel.

"Oh, we'll make sure it has the proper emotional impact. It'll make the higher ups think it all the more genuine." Cissnei responded. "Anyway, you're alive and they'll see you soon. I know it's difficult, but please, trust us."

"Seems pretty elaborate to just to shove off a group of fear and greed possessed men." Cloud remarked.

The male Turk chuckled. "And save you both, too. Some of those scientists have similar attitudes to Hojo, they just hide it better...and judging from your reaction in the OR, you really wouldn't like what they had in store."

Cloud shuddered then nodded. They walked in silence, all the while he fretted over Denzel and Marlene. The adults could take the scare, but would it be a breach of trust to the children? Denzel had lost so much in such a short amount of time. It was nothing he could help right now. "Where are we going?"

"To the port, then Junon. There will be green chocobos waiting for you outside the city, take them to Healen Lodge." Cissnei explained. "I'm not really sure what Rufus has planned."

The tunnel came to an end, and Cissnei found a button on the wall that opened up a sliding door. The four entered the room; it was the parking lot. Putting their hoods up Cloud and Tifa left the tunnel, Cissnei and the other Turk staying behind. They looked back at the Turks.

"We're going back to set everything up," Cissnei said. "Elena should be by shortly. Good luck, and...it's good to see you alive and well, Cloud."

"Wait." Cloud held out a hand. "You said you were a friend of Zack's, and you saw me before, too..."

"I was sent out to capture you both after your escape. When I saw what the experiments had done, I..." she looked down, then back up. "I let him borrow my motorcycle, so he could get you far away from Nibelheim."

Cloud swallowed hard and nodded. "Thank you, Cissnei."

"When this is all over, you two can come by for a drink at my bar, on the house!" Tifa said with a smile. "It's the least I could do."

The two Turks nodded. "We will. Stay safe, now." Cissnei shut the door, and Cloud and Tifa were alone again.

They waited quietly for Elena, a tension between them. Tifa looked down and played with her fingers. "Do you remember when you protected me from Sephiroth despite being on the same side as him?" she asked suddenly.

"I do."

She nodded. "You said you just felt like it. We didn't know each other..."

Cloud shook his head. "I knew who you were, Tifa."

Tifa stared at him. "But you said-"

"I lied because I didn't want you to lose your reason to fight." he rubbed the side of his face and looked away. "And I couldn't take it anymore. You were in danger, so I challenged Chaos. I thought I won, but in the end he got me. I guess Cosmos heard my plea to save you, because the next cycle you weren't there anymore, and I was working for her." Discussing the parallel memories seemed to jog his mind, and his eyes widened. It was a blur at first but it became clearer and clearer that he had indeed somehow gone to another world to fight. He started to laugh.

Tifa blinked then cocked her head. "Are you alright, Cloud?" She worried he was going insane again.

"Cosmos and Chaos...Materia and Spiritus...Stuck up bastards, using us for their stupid wars."

"Ah...I do remember Cosmos...I thought she was nice, but the whole thing seemed so unnecessary, too." Tifa remarked. "It happened, didn't it? These weren't..."

"All this, just because of Bartz." Cloud shook his head. "I think I might owe him an apology for trying to kill him right off the bat."

Tifa nodded, letting a little chuckle out. "I might, too."

Soon a black car drove up and stopped by them. Elena's face came into view as the darkened window rolled down, and she motioned towards the back passenger door. Cloud opened the door and let Tifa in before sitting down next to her and shutting the door. Then they were off, towards the port. "You just can't stay out of trouble, can you Cloud?"

"Sure seems that way."

Tifa scooted in her seat to get a better look at the Turk. "Do you know who Svete is?"

Elena looked at her through the rear-view mirror periodically as she spoke. "Svete is a curious guy. There's Shinra records on him, but he seemed to have made a name for himself about a year ago in the WRO. We aren't sure how he became top dog during this crisis, but it seemed he was ready to pounce on it the moment things were coming to a head."

"Is he an old executive, a scientist...? Maybe an old Turk?" Cloud asked.

"He worked under Scarlet, interestingly enough. Materia research head." Elena replied.

Cloud frowned. "Why was he so interested in having me contained like that..."

"Cissnei told me what he had lined up for you. I don't know if he had a personal vendetta against you or what, but it wasn't going to end well at all." Her eyes met Tifa's. "You, too."

Tifa took a deep breath. Neither of them were supposed to make it out of the WRO building alive. Elena continued. "We have your bike and materia at Healen Lodge. Rufus will probably have a big speech ready for you when you show up."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I'm not big on those."

Elena chuckled and the trip became quiet. Cloud looked out the window, watching as the city passed them by. It looked to be early evening, the sun almost set. He wondered what everyone was doing, if they were worried about he and Tifa. He figured they were more worried about her; he was supposed to be chained down someplace in the building while they walked free. "Did anyone even care how I was treated...?" he mumbled to himself.

"We did." Tifa replied in a quiet, coy voice.

He turned his head to face her. "Couldn't really tell."

She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. His face was a mix of emotions; betrayal, fear, anger and sorrow. "Barret told us and I demanded to see you. Reeve forced them to let me in to feed you, but..." Tifa looked away. "I'm kind of glad this got carried away like it did."

"Why is that?"

She looked back. "I really don't know what I would've done if I were to be told you died. Even if it turned out to not be true..." The chuckle that escaped her lips was mirthless. "They're going to take that news hard."

Cloud looked back out the window. "I felt expendable. I still kinda do." A lingering anger still smothered his thoughts, but he wished it weren't so.

"Even when you said yourself to finish you off if you were infected?" she pressed.

He looked back, frowning. "Being finished off would have been preferable to the hell I was gonna go through. My only regret is the kids thinking we're dead, the others can deal with whatever raw feelings that might bring up while they're free and not stuck to a metal table."

Tifa could tell he was still bitter over his treatment and the perceived lack of concern by his friends. "They do care, and so do I, Cloud." She put her hand over his. He stiffened, but didn't pull away. "Everyone was afraid, but when they heard how you were being held, it started to put us into action. Reeve promised to stop them from holding you down like an animal, but I suppose he couldn't go through with it after your escape attempt. Barret and Yuffie couldn't do that much, but they agreed it wasn't right. They never forgot about you, not once. They were worried sick about you, and so was I."

Cloud let out a hum, uncertain. The car became quiet again, then after a short while the vehicle came to a stop. Elena looked back at them, her brown eyes looking back and forth at them. She held out two ferry tickets. "Last boat to Junon. Try and stay safe, you two. I'll try and contact Reeve before everyone gets too upset."

Cloud took the tickets and nodded. "Thanks, Elena." He opened the door and left, holding the door for Tifa before shutting it. The Turk drove off, and the two left for the boat.

They found a quiet spot to watch the waves lap at the boat as they waited for the ferry to leave. Tifa cocked her head. "The waves seem so..."

"Weak?" Cloud offered. Tifa nodded, and he continued. "They've been weak for a while now. Some days they're a little stronger, and other days a little weaker. The tides too I've noticed, when I go on deliveries near the shore."

"The Planet is still recovering from everything..."

"Yeah, but even in places you'd think would be alright, like Cosmo Canyon..." Cloud turned and sat down, Tifa copying him. "I really didn't pay it much heed, and I guess I still don't. Once the Planet recovers everything should go back to normal."

Tifa flashed a wry smile. "We could be dead by then."

"There's a strong possibility, yeah."

The boat took off and they were quiet again, looking back at Edge as it slowly became more distant. Cloud looked down at Tifa, the woman still staring off at the horizon. He put his arm around her, causing her to snap out of her revere and look at him, and he gave her a kiss on the lips.

"I hope this is fixed soon." Cloud whispered as he looked into her red eyes. It was therapeutic being this close to Tifa after everything that had happened; he just couldn't stay that upset with her for that long, considering everything. "I'd like to not be wanted by the authorities for just existing."

Tifa kissed him back, then laid her head on his shoulder. Being alone with him like this was something she worried she wouldn't be able to do again. "Yeah. This has been like one long nightmare..."

Cloud snorted. "You could say that again." He looked up at the sky, the very first stars barely visible in the darkening firmament. "Bartz told me his crystal shards told him to come here."

"Crystal shards?"

He nodded. "He showed them to me. I guess they're kinda like materia, a little bit. Magic crystals. But not totally..."

Tifa hummed. "Did they speak to you, too?"

"No. He showed me what they can do."

She looked around, very few people on the ferry. "Can you tell me what he told you? We have a while before we reach Junon..."

Cloud looked back down at her and nodded. He held her tight in his arm and told her what he knew as they traveled to their next destination, thoughts of their worried children in the corner of their minds.


	13. Chocobos and Crystals

Cloud and Tifa made it to the Junon docks several hours later, both having dozed off after their talk. He kept her as close as he could, giving her his warmth and she her comfort, both worried about the ones they left behind in Edge. They knew they would have to trust the Turks and Rufus, the irony not lost on them; they were relieved that it seemed Shinra truly was changing, however. So far, so good.

Leaving the ferry they made their way to the other side of Junon. Cloud led the way, knowing the ins and outs of the upper city because of his delivery service. He breathed in the city air, a mix of concrete, sea salt and rusty metal, a weak wind that sometimes strengthened in short bursts blowing from inland bringing notes of faraway grass. He wondered how many deliveries he would have to deal with after this was settled, he surely would have a large backlog.

Cloud focused on the foot he fell on earlier, a small ache was noticeable with every step. His bones were still mending, and it would be fully healed by tomorrow if he didn't break it again. He supposed the experiments done to him were at least good for something after it was all said and done, though just barely after all the mental anguish he had gone through to get to this point in his life. He rolled his shoulder, and it too was sore but usable. If they had to fight he could fight, he reckoned. He decided to favor his other foot for now.

After an hour of walking from one side of the city to the other while avoiding WRO soldiers in case any possibly recognized them despite their hoods they found themselves by a small stable right outside of Junon that was owned by Shinra. Two lone chocobos warbled and pecked at the ground of their stalls as they entered the deserted building. Cloud tested the stall door as they approached; it was unlocked. He quickly helped Tifa on to one of the green chocobos and helped himself to the other.

They were off for the mountains east of Junon, the birds quick on their feet even as the ground became rocky and treacherous. Occasionally he would look over at Tifa, making sure she was alright, and she seemed to be doing the same as their eyes met more than once. His stomach grumbled as they reached a sharp incline and he remembered he hadn't eaten since lunch on the day he had been taken captive. Tifa had tried to feed him, but...

"I'm sorry I tranquilized you, Teef."

Her head moved to her side to study him. "It's alright...You didn't know it was me."

"I should have known as soon as you kicked me off. No one kicks as hard as you do." he said with a smirk. Cloud remembered how hard he slammed into her, and his face warped into a frown. "How is your head?" he asked awkwardly.

Tifa moved her hand into her hood and rubbed the back of her head. "A little tender."

Cloud said nothing, and looked forward again, swallowing. He never thought he'd ever hurt Tifa outside of a confusion spell. It nagged at him, how feral he acted in that room, and how he never expected another visitor besides doctors and nurses and scientists. He should have thought first, then acted; who would have brought him food but someone who knew him?

The chocobos soon began the arduous task of traversing the mountains that separated Junon from Healen Lodge, taking a northeasterly route. It was dark out but the birds knew where to go, Tifa the only one having an issue with sight out of the four. Sparse starlight assisted her eyes, and occasionally she would glance over to look at Cloud's softly glowing orbs.

Most people would find his eyes intimidating and unnatural in the darkness, but she knew those azure orbs and their moods. She was reminded of the first time the lights went out in the bar after Denzel was rescued from the slums, and how the boy had gasped at the two blue lights that pierced the darkness of the children's room as they checked on the kids. Cloud had been a little self-conscious at first, until the boy told him how cool it looked.

It stung, thinking about the children. They were holed up in the WRO building, wondering where she was and how Cloud was doing. Were they told yet? How would they take it? Tifa still didn't think they would believe it. Children always held out hope unless there was a clear indication that someone was dead and gone. She went to rub her ring absentmindedly but touched the skin of her finger instead.

"My ring is missing!"

Cloud looked her way, then rubbed his left ear. His brows came together. "They took our jewelry..."

Tifa's eyes widened. "Do you think...?"

"Part of the Turks' plan." Cloud replied dryly with a shrug.

She nodded, and they fell back into silence again as the chocobos reached a sharp rocky summit and then navigated a narrow path downwards. The sooner they could get back the sooner they could comfort the kids, even if Elena was going to speak to Reeve possibly later tonight. Tifa just wanted to be there with them, and she was certain Cloud did, too.

Tifa could barely stand the thought of the children mourning them. How would the news break? Was just the jewelry enough to convince them? She knew she would find out later, but really, what did they do?

As she ran the different scenarios in her head they reached another summit. It was cold and remnant snow clung here and there on the stony ground. The chocobos continued onward, navigating contentedly in their natural habitat. Quickly they traveled downward towards a natural passage that oversaw a deep, dark ravine, the bottom unseen in the night gloom below.

The chocobos followed one after the other on the narrow ledge, barely wide enough to accommodate them. Occasionally the two would hear crumbling behind them or to the side, making them tense. The path was hardly stable, it seemed. The birds continued on, nonplussed, up another path that widened to the point they could ride side by side again.

It was a lower mountain, and the area was covered sparsely with vegetation that grew low to the ground, somewhat sickly looking to Cloud. He frowned; they weren't that close to the Midgar Wastes he reckoned. Looking forward again he let the cool wind shear blow on his face, and he closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath of mountain air.

He heard a sharp sound to his right, like two rocks suddenly grinding on each other, and he snapped his head towards the noise. Tifa was looking behind her with a nervous glint in her eye, and then the sound repeated up ahead. Cloud watched as Tifa's chocobo tripped on the collapsing shard of stone, and he lunged his arm towards Tifa as the bird began to fall from the mountain with a loud cry.

His own bird stumbled as it tried to balance itself with a human hanging off its side, and Cloud pushed his body to the left as he held Tifa by the back of her hoodie. The chocobo stumbled further and then fell, Cloud and Tifa tumbling onto the stony ground with surprised yelps, the spiky haired man holding Tifa to him. Tifa laid on top of Cloud as they came to a stop a little ways down the path, both breathing hard and fast after they were both nearly killed.

"You okay?" Cloud breathed. He was holding her close.

Tifa nodded, still breathing short fast breaths. He pushed her head down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before the two stood up and dusted themselves off. They looked about their surroundings; one chocobo was gone, most likely dead far below them, and the other was up the path from them, warbling anxiously as it stood itself back up. It looked ready to take off.

Cloud walked up to it and began rubbing its beak, trying to get it to calm down. "Easy..."

Tifa rubbed its neck, and slowly the chocobo settled down. Tifa looked about, her breath puffing in the chilly mountain air. "I hope I don't have to travel over a mountain range again any time soon."

Cloud let out a mirthless chuckle. "Yeah. I remember when we used this path nearly five years ago...I guess erosion has really set in." He let the chocobo relax for a few more minutes before mounting it again, then helped Tifa on behind him. "I don't think we have much further to go..."

Tifa nodded. "Let's try and get there in one piece." Cloud hummed an affirmative before they set off again, a little slower, towards Healen Lodge.

* * *

Bartz lounged on the couch, holding one of his crystal shards. It was dark out, the glow of the lamps in the office he sat in illuminating the space he occupied. Tseng observed him from the other side of the couch, not quite wary but not quite relaxed, either. The alien had been well behaved, but the monsters gathering about his meteorite still had the Turk slightly on edge.

For all intents and purposes Bartz seemed to be just another human. Of course, Tseng knew that could be a disguise, no matter how faint the possibility now, and a DNA test would be required to squelch any doubts that lingered. For now, however, Bartz had been the opposite of a flesh assimilating monster bent on sucking the planet dry. Rufus, he mused, seemed to have deduced the situation correctly.

"I still have to wonder why the crystals sent me here."

Tseng raised a brow as his hands rested on his knees. Bartz had spoken about them to Rufus earlier. "I would think it would be for something more important than your desire to explore." he offered.

Bartz glanced at him, then looked down at the shard. "I guess so. I wonder what?" He put it back in his pouch, then looked towards the window on the far side of the room. "You don't have crystals, do you?"

"Not like the ones you described, no."

"How does everything exist, then? What's keeping creation going?" Bartz asked, looking back at the Turk.

Tseng scratched his chin. "You don't have a Lifestream where you're from?"

"A life what?"

"I'll take that as a 'no'. The Lifestream is a flow of energy that gives life to the Planet, and everything on it. When a creature dies, its memories and emotions and thoughts enter the Lifestream, adding to it." Tseng explained.

Bartz scratched the side of his head. "So when someone dies, they go to the Lifestream?"

Tseng nodded. "It's part of the Planet's cycle. We are all gifted with a little bit of that energy, and it grows throughout our lives. Then it returns when we die."

"I'm pretty sure we don't have anything like that where I'm from...I mean there's ghosts that sometimes visit n' stuff, but I'm not really familiar with any afterlife beliefs. Never thought much on it, honestly." He finished with a shrug, unsure what to add.

"Be that as it may, our Lifestream has been through much. Mostly at the hands of Shinra."

Bartz frowned. "How? Is that what Mr. Shinra was talking about when he said he had things to atone for?"

"Yes. The Shinra found a way to refine the Lifestream into electricity, which caused technology to flourish. But, we were sucking out the Planet's blood, slowly killing it." Tseng pointed towards Edge. "You already saw the consequences of that on the spot you landed."

Bartz's eyes widened. "You mean those wastes I landed in? I was worried the whole world was like that when I got here."

A humorless laugh passed Tseng's lips. "Fortunately no, but there are other dead zones. Their recovery has been sluggish lately, however."

"Hm. There was an incident that was kinda similar to that. We had machines that amplified the crystals' power, and with a little push from a guy that called himself ExDeath, they all shattered. Then, slowly, the wind stopped blowing, the oceans began to stagnate, fires became dim, and the earth began to wither."

"So what happened to your planet?"

"It merged with its sister planet after the four crystals on that world were destroyed." Bartz paused but sensed Tseng wanted him to go on. He spoke of Enuo and the dividing of the crystals, and how after he and his friends defeated ExDeath the crystals reformed on the merged planet, giving it life again.

Tseng leaned into the couch. "I suppose there is a similarity: If either the Lifestream disappears, or your crystals shatter, the world dies."

"Yeah." He wondered if it was connected at all.

They sat in silence, both pondering the contents of the conversation. Eventually Bartz's mind wandered onto the subject of Cloud. Tseng and Rufus both said that the Turks could get him out of where ever they had him imprisoned. He didn't know how, but they seemed rather confident about their odds.

He wondered if Cloud would be happy to see him or blame him for what happened. Bartz still couldn't believe his friend forgot everything so easily, after all they had been through. Perhaps it was because he was so busy, unlike himself, Bartz pondered. His gaze looked about the room again for the tenth time that evening, looking at the patterns in the wood panels or the tiny, barely noticeable crack in the wall by the window.

The door that led outside opened and both Bartz and Tseng quickly looked towards it; Reno's head popped into view with a smug grin and a thumbs up before opening the door wider. He moved out of the way, and Cloud and Tifa walked in as they pulled away their hoods. They looked about a moment, then made eye contact with Bartz. The two had dirt and scratches on their faces, from what he did not know.

Bartz stood up and cautiously approached. "Y-you're here! You and Tifa...Tifa?" He looked at Reno. "I thought Cloud was the only one that was in trouble." Reno shrugged at him as he closed the door, listening patiently.

"That was my fault..." Cloud mumbled. He looked Bartz up and down. "New clothing?"

Bartz pinched the fabric of his hoodie. "I had to blend in somehow!"

Tifa laughed. "Oh, if only Zidane were here to see this."

"Yeah, I really miss him..." Bartz's eyes widened and his mouth opened. "You remember Zidane? What about me?"

"Yeah, I remember you." Tifa said with a smile. "And everyone else, too."

"Sorry about almost killing you, Bartz." Cloud said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Thank the stars you remember!" He gave a playful punch to Cloud's shoulder. "It's alright, Cloud. I know why you did what you did. That Jenova thing sounds terrifying."

"It is." Tifa replied. "And whatever the WRO is devolving into is terrifying, too."

Tseng stood up and strode over to the three. "I was told there were complications involved in your rescue, Cloud." He looked at Tifa.

"I tried rescuing myself from that place and I...sort of got Tifa involved." Cloud looked down, cringing as the moment he jammed the needle into Tifa's arm while mocking her played in his mind again. He looked back up again, hands on his hips. "The WRO is getting way out of hand."

"So I've been told. Elena should be on her way to see Reeve soon, and hopefully he's had success finding that Adamantium you spoke of, Bartz." Tseng looked towards the young man.

Cloud raised a brow. "Adamantium?"

"It's what's attracting all the monsters. I totally forgot about that stuff!" Bartz said, hitting the palm of his hand with a fist.

"How could you forget something so important?" Tifa asked.

"It's been a while since I had anything to do with those meteorites." He shrugged, not having much else to add. "If someone takes a big enough chunk the monsters should go away. It only really effects them when it reaches a certain threshold, that's what I was told." Or so Cid and Mid had divulged to him.

Cloud nodded, satisfied with the answer. It had been a loose end brought up by Barret not too long ago. "Well, I guess we gotta wait until Reeve is in control of everything again."

"That is, if he can." came a deep, calm, familiar voice. The group turned to see Rufus leaning on his office desk. "Reeve, to his credit, isn't a power hungry man. Unfortunately, his competition is."

"You know about Svete?" Tifa asked.

Rufus nodded. "He wished to take over Scarlet's department before my father's death, and was one of the scientists involved in the creation of the Mako Cannon. Svete was also the one to originally come up with the plan to use the Huge Materia against Meteor."

"He sounds like trouble." Cloud stated.

Reno snickered. "Understatement of the year, yo."

Rufus continued. "Before Meteorfall he had been studying the effects of giant materia for the company, and it seems out of passion, as well. Where they could be found, how to harness them for our use..." He crossed his arms. "When we had acquired one of the Huge Materia, Svete studied it before we placed it on the rocket." Rufus motioned towards Tseng.

"Svete said it had a unique resonance with the Planet that he had never come across before. As if it had a minor external effect on the area it was located." Tseng looked over at Cloud. "Certainly you noticed something about the green Huge Materia?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes in thought. It had been months since he visited the chamber in Cosmo Canyon that held the Huge Materia, gently glowing and floating serenely above the stone floor. "The whole room buzzes." he mumbled. Cloud looked up at Rufus. "What does this have anything to do with what Svete's up to now, or how he got into power?"

Tifa frowned and looked at Bartz, then Rufus.

"How exactly he came into power, I haven't deduced yet. Most of the scientists involved are more interested in exobiology and not materia. But Svete would still be interested in Bartz, don't you think?" Rufus' voice was low with a slight hint of humor. "Especially with those crystal shards he carries around."

Bartz looked at his pouch. Was Rufus insinuating something? "He can't use them."

"He's a scientist, yo." Reno drawled out. "He'll pick them and you apart until he finds a way."

Bartz shrugged. "I don't see how..." he mumbled. He glanced at Tseng as he left to go outside, a...what did they call it? A cellphone? Up to his ear.

"What matters right now is legitimizing Reeve's return to power before the situation devolves further." Rufus said, looking at Cloud and Tifa. "As much as you distrust me, and with good reason from the past, when I said I wished for Shinra to atone for our sins I was not saying it just to placate everyone."

They both nodded, tensely quiet. They had dark pasts, too. If Shinra was going to do what was best for the Planet, it would be wrong to disallow them the chance to do what was right over the sins of the past. "What happens next, Rufus?" Tifa asked.

"After we contact Reeve he will have assistance from the Turks in the event that the council or just Svete have second thoughts on the matter. You two are dead, and so are out of the picture."

Tifa cocked her head. "They still have Yuffie and the children."

"Cissnei and Nunka are still in the building. If anything happens, those three will take priority." Rufus assured her.

"I hope they don't they don't meet the same way we did." Cloud mused. He looked around and heaved a sigh. "There's not much we can do right now. I'm gonna check on Fenrir." Cloud walked towards the door.

"Don't worry, Rude and I went easy on it." Reno said with a grin.

Cloud flashed him a dark look, then nodded. "Thanks for recovering Fenrir." He left the building, hearing the murmurings of Tifa, Bartz and Rufus behind him. He was one the first wooden steps down the path as Tseng approached and tapped his shoulder. Cloud looked back, brows raised. "Hm?"

"...Reeve isn't at the WRO building." Tseng's eyes studied Cloud in the darkness. "Do you know where he could be? You're his friend, after all."

Cloud looked down. Reeve would have found out about their "deaths" by now. If he wasn't in the building and he was upset...The warrior glanced upwards again. "Try the bar. Everyone has a key to Seventh Heaven in case of an emergency."

Tseng nodded in thanks, allowing Cloud to return to his descent down the steps. The Turk replied back to Elena before shutting the phone and staring up at the stars, he and Rude observing the night time sky.

"I wonder what kind of trouble we're in for now." Rude wondered as he guarded the door.

Tseng chuckled. "Never a dull day on Gaia, is it?"

"No, sir."

The Turk continued to gaze at the stars, then looked in Edge's direction. He hoped Elena would be alright.


	14. Reunion

A million thoughts ran through Reeve's head; he had immediately sobered up the instant Vincent and Barret had come downstairs to tell the rest of the group hopeful news: Those ashes upstairs weren't human remains. He was hopeful but also concerned; Cloud and Tifa were alive but that might not mean they were safe at all.

Reeve had been given a second chance to make things right with them, and he wasn't going to fail them this time.

Yuffie's tear stained face was determined and her eyes glimmered to life, and she hopped off the booth shaking her fist. "I bet they're keepin' them for some horrible experiment! It was just a trick so they could use'em like...oooooh!"

Reeve put on his suit jacket and stood up. "We move now. The more time we dawdle here the less time those two have." He looked about at his group of friends, the children, and Faris. Someone was going to have to babysit the children and Faris. He looked at Yuffie. "Do you think you could stay here to watch over them?" Reeve motioned towards the three. "I'll keep Cait Sith here so you're up to date on everything."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead, then finally nodded. "Yeah. Fine. If it gets violent give Svete an extra hard punch in the gut for me, please?"

A smile grew on Reeve's face. "I promise."

Barret hit his palm with his metal fist. "Awright, we're gonna do a number on those scumbags and save those two! Ain't nobody gettin' away with this shit."

Nanaki sat between Barret and Faris. "It may be an uphill battle, allowing us into the science department."

"Ye aren't givin' up now, are ye?" Faris questioned with a raised brow at the Guardian.

Nanaki huffed. "Not at all."

"We best hurry." Vincent said. "It could already be too late."

"Maybe it is, but we'll fight for them." Reeve assured him. He smoothed out his dress jacket and looked sternly at the door. "Second chances aren't given often."

They began preparations, Yuffie and Barret reassuring Denzel and Marlene. The children were still in a slight state of disbelief, at first thinking that perhaps the adults were trying to ease them with hope for whatever reason. It soon became apparent that they were serious, and they were going to rescue Cloud and Tifa if at all possible. Denzel rubbed the wolf stud embedded in his ear, and Barret chuckled.

"I bet Cloud's gonna think that looks good on yeh."

Denzel blushed. "I'm wondering if I should take it out."

"Naw. Keep care of it, Denzel. Won't get lost on your ear, anyway." Barret gently pat Denzel's back, the boy smiling at the thought of seeing Cloud and Tifa again.

A firm rap upon the door made everyone quiet and look towards the front of the bar. Reeve ended up walking towards the door and creaking it open, and he frowned hard at the person on the other side. "What is this?" Reeve looked behind the man, there were several others and an idling truck.

The soldier was dressed in the usual WRO garb. Those behind him were dressed much the same way. He gave a salute. "Sir, we were commanded to arrest you and any others inside." The soldiers voice was muffled, but he sounded rather young.

"For what, exactly?" was the sharp reply. Reeve wondered how they could have found him until he remembered he only had two known haunts in Edge: The WRO building and Seventh Heaven.

"You removed several possibly infected patients from WRO custody, and now any in contact with them must be brought back, including you, sir." The soldier sounded apologetic.

Reeve rubbed his face. "They aren't infected, and Svete's not in charge, I am."

"Sir, this is separate from your usual responsibilities-"

"No, it is not." Reeve said curtly. "I've decided that Svete is too irresponsible for the position." The soldier didn't budge, and seemed begrudged to be here as an arresting officer. "They're doing things to Cloud and Tifa, you know." he said quietly, hoping the names would push the young soldier to do the right thing.

The soldier shifted on his feet. "They were infected, sir. The council is looking for a treatment..."

"They were never infected and the council tried to convince us that they had been killed during...whatever it is they're doing in there. Now, as president of the WRO, I order you to stand down." Reeve said firmly. He sighed. "If we were possibly infected, wouldn't they give you masks?"

The soldier stood there, eyes shifting this way and that. Another pushed the poor boy away and glowered at Reeve. "We have been ordered to arrest you and anyone else residing in the bar immediately. Come peacefully, or we will have to use force."

Reeve grimaced. "Again, Svete isn't the one in charge." he said through his clenched teeth.

"Well, he is now, President Tuesti." the soldier said firmly. "We have a job to do and a city to keep safe."

Barret was right behind Reeve now, his hand cannon locked on the soldier's head. The other three soldiers' rifles aimed on him, the first soldier wavering. "Now yeh better start listenin' to your leader, unless you part of a coup."

"Power was granted to the council, and any means necessary to stem the alien issue. Our orders are clear, sirs." He eyed Barret warily, a twinge of regret in the soldier's voice.

"We ain't goin' no where but that buildin' over there for our friends before your handlers do anythin' else to them, and-"

"Helloooo?" The soldiers turned their heads, then aimed towards the voice, all too late. Something landed by their feet, dust billowing everywhere, and they collapsed except for the first young soldier. He looked about helplessly at his sleeping compatriots, then cried out as Barret's bear-like hand grabbed him by his jacket into the bar. His rifle clattered to the ground as Reeve deftly restrained his hands and Barret moved the rifle strap from the soldier's neck. He struggled fruitlessly to get away, helpless without the others.

A woman with short blonde hair and brown eyes came up to the door, Reeve staring slack-jawed at her. She tossed some rope into his hands. "Tseng always said it's good to be prepared! Help me tie them up, _president_."

The three other soldiers were tied up and dragged into the bar, dumped into a corner. Barret kept his gun on the youngest, who sat terrified on the floor as Yuffie finished tying him up. Reeve put his hands on his hips, looking Elena up and down as she finished messaging on her phone. "Cloud and Tifa are running out of time. If you're here because-"

Elena put her hand up, wagging her finger firmly. " _You're_ running out of time in Edge." She looked around, frowned at Faris, then faced Reeve again. "This wasn't part of the plan at all..."

"...What plan?" Yuffie asked, eyes narrowing.

The Turk looked at the soldiers, then shook her head. "Not here. We need to leave."

"We gotta save Cloud and Tifa!" Barret bellowed.

"I promise I'll tell you everything. But we need to leave now, before more show up." She bit her lip and looked back at Reeve. "I need you to trust me. Please."

Reeve came up close to her. "I can't leave them, Elena."

"They're safe." she whispered. "I swear it on Tseng's eventual grave." Elena added, a wry smile on her lips.

Reeve looked around and nervously licked his lips. If it was a trick to get him out of Edge Rufus would pay. "Barret, get your truck ready. Yuffie, take my car. Elena, we'll follow your lead."

Denzel walked up to Reeve, his face an angry frown. "But what about-"

Reeve put a hand on his shoulder. "The sooner we move, the sooner we'll see them." he whispered.

It didn't take long for the group to leave. The children were seated in the truck with Cait Sith while Yuffie, Reeve and Elena took the sleeping soldiers and placed them outside the bar and into an alley. Faris had wondered what kind of contraption Barret's truck was before Vincent picked her up and placed her in the back, Barret doing much the same to the captured soldier in a rougher fashion. Vincent entered, then shut the door behind him and trained his gun on their hostage.

"Ye still haven't answered me question!"

Vincent sighed and gingerly rubbed his forehead as he sat next to Nanaki, his tail illuminating the inside of the box. "It's called a truck. It moves through the use of an engine." He cringed mentally, it would only lead to more questions, like what is an engine? He put his clawed hand down away from his face, jaw tight as he prepared to be assaulted with more and more questions.

"Through an engine, you say? It must be small to fit in this thing." Faris looked about, then moved her hand to the bed of the truck to keep herself upright as it lurched. To Vincent's relief, the alien kept quiet for the time being.

Reeve was at the proverbial edge of his seat as Elena guided them quickly past the tower, eyeing it with dread. He turned his head towards Elena, staring at her with a need for answers. "Can you tell us anything yet?"

The Turk took a quick look at him before returning her eyes to the road. "Cloud and Tifa are at Healen Lodge. We rescued them this afternoon, after Cloud tried to escape."

Reeve stared hard into the side of her head. "And you didn't tell me?" he spat out.

"We needed a genuine reaction from you and everyone else. If anyone suspected anything was off, and considering how close you all are, they would if you didn't react...properly." She sent him a sideways glance. "What wasn't part of the plan was you sneaking everyone to Seventh Heaven. Had a letter ready to hand off to you, hoping you and that hot head Barret could whip everyone into shape before releasing the "possible vectors" in the science department."

"How did you get them out?"

"Two Turks went in as scientists from Junon to experiment on them and dispose of the bodies later. They used one of your secret passages to get Cloud and Tifa out." Elena sighed, moving onto the road that lead out of the city. "Hopefully our people can get out before someone gets suspicious."

Reeve ran his hand through his hair, looking out the windshield. "So now we have to rejoin them at Healen Lodge and try to come up with a way to retake the WRO." He knew it wasn't going to be peaceful. It would be AVALANCHE, two aliens, and what was left of the Shinra against the might of the WRO army. The odds might not be as stacked against them as it was during the Jenova War, but they were still up against something powerful.

He decided he was going to have to get a hold of Cid somehow. They needed the Shera. Reeve was sure the Turks were using encrypted phones but most of AVALANCHE had no need for anything like that anymore. He would discuss it later with Rufus, after they made it to Healen Lodge. "We probably have several hours before they find out..." he mumbled to himself.

"Who finds out what?"

"The WRO. Those soldiers should be able to identify you." Reeve looked back at Elena, brows creased.

She huffed. "I guess I should've killed them, huh?" Elena looked back to see Reeve giving her a disapproving frown. "I'm sure we'll be okay for the time being. We'll have to move quickly after we regroup at the lodge, however." She turned back to the road, darkness greeting her eyes but for the car's lights. "Take a nap if you can, Reeve. You're gonna need it."

* * *

Cloud sat next to Tifa on the couch, his childhood friend curled up on his chest as he leaned on the arm of the soft, inviting furniture. Bartz was softly snoring on the other side of the couch, using his hood to block out the dim lights of Rufus' office. Cloud entwined his hand in Tifa's as she lay on him.

He had talked to Bartz earlier, the young man relieved his friend didn't think him a threat to the Planet anymore. Now they had a huge mess on their hands that seemed to have been caused both by well intentioned caution from Bartz's arrival and a takeover by a scientist who happened to take the opportunity when it presented itself.

What perplexed him the most was that it wasn't by your usual crazy scientist, no, this one was a materia researcher. Cloud glanced at the pouch Bartz held tightly in his sleep, and he frowned. Did Svete know Bartz had crystals on him? How? That would require prior knowledge. How would he know? Cloud raked his memories of that strange world; no one named Svete was there.

Something felt terribly wrong about that mysterious man.

In the distance he heard the sound of several vehicles coming closer. He wasn't distracted by anything but his own thoughts, so he could pick out things here and there. A mumbled conversation outside, Reno and Rude discussing a visit to one of Cloud's neighbors. Inside Rufus and Tseng spoke briskly of the devolving situation with the WRO. Did any of them hear the vehicles? The two outside probably did, they were getting pretty close.

Maybe it was Reeve and everyone else. Cloud felt uneasy. What should he say, what would they say? Did he even want to see them right now? He released a sigh then looked down at Tifa. They were probably more worried about her and how he had put her in danger as he tried to escape. After all, the kids would have had to rely on Barret and Yuffie to keep care of them as Tifa lay wriggling on an examination table. Cloud ran his hand through her hair. He was more worried about what they would do to her at that point than what they would do to him. She never lived through the nightmare in the mansion, but he had.

The vehicles were idling below them. Reno was drawling out a lazy greeting.

He didn't know if he should be more angry at them for not listening, for treating him like a cranky child at the doctor's office and not an adult being strapped to a metal table or at himself for trying to escape and possibly ruining plans he had no idea were happening behind the scenes. How would he have known? He had to leave. It was instinct to leave.

Doors were slamming shut and footsteps were making their way closer.

What about the kids? What did they think of him? Sure, they said hello, but what had they thought? The last they saw of him he was running through the rain and mud, attacking WRO troopers. Or did they see him dragged away, filthy and tranquilized? He figured he must have looked pathetic. Far from the 'hero' they saw him as. Had they thought him infected? Maybe, maybe not.

Cloud had a dazed look on his face as the door slammed open and the other two people on the couch jumped awake; Yuffie stood there, staring into his eyes. How could anyone stand his eyes? They were just plain creepy, he thought. He blinked, his mouth half open. He looked down when he thought that perhaps Yuffie was feeling uncomfortable. Tifa sat up from his chest and leaned back into the couch cushions. "Yuffie! You-"

The last sensation Cloud thought he'd feel right now would be that of Yuffie crushing his neck with her arms and having his face smushed into the crook of her neck. He thought he had been imagining the quiver in her breath until they grew stronger. She shook her head, his spikes tickling her face and moisture smearing his cheek. "Cloud...I am so sorry, Cloud..."

"...Yuffie?" he asked softly, tentatively.

"I don't ever wanna think I lost you and Tifa ever again. Not...ever. Ever again, you hear me, Spike?" Her voice was low and broken, punctuated by little sobs.

He didn't say anything. Cloud just sat there, biting his lip and blinking his eyes. His arms slowly came up and he returned the hug. What else could he do? What else did he _want_ to do in that moment? His hug became firmer and he rubbed her back a little bit. He couldn't cry right now, especially not in front of Yuffie. She'd never let him live it down later, he knew it.

"Cloud, Tifa!" It was a unison of two little voices and quick footsteps. Yuffie lifted up and was replaced by Denzel, Marlene next to him and on Tifa's lap. Cloud stared at the boy for what felt like an eternity; part of him thought he would never see him again. He wrapped Denzel up in his arms and kissed his forehead. Something tugged at him in his chest.

"Hey, kiddo." Cloud tried his hardest to keep his voice even. "Were you two good while we were away?" one side of his mouth twitched upwards a moment.

Denzel nodded, and Cloud's brows came together as a glimmer of silver reached his eyes. He brought a finger up to inspect Denzel's ear and noticed he was wearing the wolf stud that the Turks had taken for their plan. The boy's face turned red. "Um, I was keeping it safe..."

Cloud chuckled. "You did this by yourself?"

"Marlene helped." Denzel looked down and then back up. "Here, you can have it back-"

Cloud shook his head. "I'll get another one later. This looks pretty cool on you, Denzel."

Denzel grinned, then hugged Cloud again. "Thanks, Cloud. You're the best."

"Oh. Faris?" Bartz was standing from the couch, gawking at the androgynous pirate as the others flooded towards Cloud and Tifa. "How-"

Faris jabbed a finger into Bartz's chest. "Ye thought ye could get away from the likes of me?"

"I wasn't tryin' to get away from you or Krile or Lenna! Just...The crystals..." He looked down at his pouch, then looked up again at Faris. "How'd you get here, anyway?"

Faris gave her leg pouch a firm pat. "Crystals said I'd find ye in a cave that was on the face of the north mountains in Hiryuu Valley. Found one of them portals, and then I found meself in a strange desert filled with strange lookin' people." She stared him up and down, a wry smile forming on her face. "You look a bit strange with that clothin', Bartz."

Bartz blew out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Yeah. They thought I was some freaky monster alien, and well..." he trailed off as he lifted his arms then dropped them again, a little embarrassed. His grey eyes looked down, still shaded by his hood.

She nodded and pointed at Nanaki, the Guardian rubbing against Tifa as she rubbed his back. "That fiery beast told me of what they thought of you and I. Still sounds a bit strange, doesn't it?"

"I guess so. They thought I was controlling Cloud or something."

Faris glanced at the group by the couch. She didn't recognize the blond man or the brunette next to him. "Cloud...That be him?" She pointed at the spiky haired man. Bartz nodded. "You talked of a man named Cloud, once. I guess you found your dream friend."

Bartz half smiled and tipped the hood off of his head. "Kinda wish it was under better circumstances. Now there's a mess I have to help clean up."

She nodded and put a hand over his shoulder. "High time for another adventure, eh?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is." Bartz turned and walked towards the rest of the group, watching his friend Cloud as the blue of his eyes somehow grew deeper.

Cloud stood up after being attacked by hugs from Marlene and head nuzzles from Nanaki. Barret gave him a heavy pat on his shoulder, apologizing for not trusting him. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't...It was jes a bad time. When we thought we lost you and Tifa to a bunch of quack scientists, we were ready to blast every one of those suckas for what they did."

"It's fine, Barret."

Reeve apologized for not doing anything sooner. "I found my spine when I thought it was too late..."

"It's okay," he said flatly, still fighting with his voice. A warm feeling was exploding in his chest as he looked around at his friends. They had been worried for him and Tifa, and they had been upset with everything that happened.

"I need to check my swords, guys. I'll be right back."

He silently left the room before Tifa could say he already checked on them earlier, allowing the others time to formulate a plan that would work against the WRO. Cloud figured he could help with that later, after he calmed down a bit. He walked down the stairs and took a drag of the fresh, cool air of Healen Lodge, the moist air scented by trees and waterfalls.

Cloud sat on the ground next to Fenrir, looking up at the sky. He still had that warm feeling in his chest, and his eyes burned. He'd let them burn as much as they want while he was out here, he decided. He felt a little bit like a drama queen for his past thoughts, but could he really blame himself, he wondered? He and Tifa were very nearly killed on examination tables.

Their friends cared, and he wasn't as expendable as he was thinking he was. His sour mood brought about from mad scientists and concern wrapped in paranoia had melted into love for his friends and family that really had been fighting for him. They were here now, with him and at his side.

He let out a shaky chuckle as he ran a hand through his spikes, wondering how pathetic he must look right now. After many minutes in silence he breathed deep through his nose, stood up, and marched back up the stairs after wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. They were going to strike back at Svete for everything he did, and he wouldn't want anyone else but his family of friends by his side for the mission.


	15. Cloud of Darkness

There were lots of beeps and bubbling and other machine noises. For some reason, it sounded awfully quiet to Svete. Maybe it was because the only other human in the room was for all intents and purposes an inert body, created with one specific goal in mind. Svete continued to stare at the naked body suspended in the tank, the face of Cloud Strife a somewhat familiar one to the scientist.

Svete scratched at the black hair receding above his forehead.

Cloud's friends thought the samples were for testing, even the one they first brought in after the Meteor fell and brought Bartz to this world. It was just a beginning to this project He had set in motion as soon as He heard news of the night time encounter between Cloud and Bartz. It wasn't hard to begin, considering how eager many of the scientists were to work on a clone of the one who defeated Sephiroth.

Fools.

All of them were fools. From the scientists to Reeve and all of his friends, Bartz, the WRO, the world at large. They all fell into paranoia, just as He had hoped and planned. He had been planning for the last year's time for something to happen. Bartz had given Him the perfect opportunity to wrest control of the WRO from Reeve as they all searched fruitlessly for Bartz.

Cloud had played his part so very well. He knew Cloud would eventually come to his senses and try to help Bartz, and in so doing trigger his 'friends' into contacting the WRO. At that time, He had spoken to Reeve about being in charge of the investigation. How He would see to it that Cloud would be cared for. Fear and empty assurances worked, and Cloud was used for more samples to complete what was in front of Svete's eyes.

The clone had taken shape quickly with the use of Cloud's regeneration abilities, the biologists and exobiologists secretly working on the project in this high clearance lab. If they kept quiet about this little project they would have all the samples and experiments they wanted without Reeve breathing down their throat, Svete promised. Of course they jumped at the chance, quickly developing ways to trigger Cloud's cells into doing what they wanted.

Not all of them, however. It had been a team of three ambitious scientists. The others either balked at the idea or felt it could not be done. Several had the audacity to bring in arguments of morality, Svete having them quietly arrested for possible contamination the day after their discussion. Then, it was just a matter of having an excuse to kill off Cloud Strife.

Disposal of the original had been easily done after Cloud's brazen attempt to escape, and the fine powder in that box He had seen meant that two of the greatest of the Planet's protectors were out of their hair. That super-powered bumpkin made it so easy for Him, too. When He was told Cloud didn't like scientists, they weren't kidding.

Two 'heroes' dead, and now He had gotten word that Reeve, Yuffie and Barret had left the WRO building with the two brats, but Reeve's secretary knew where he would have gone after receiving bad news. He always went to a place called Seventh Heaven.

Soon the entire lot of them would be killed off, just like their two friends. But for now, this clone took His immediate attention. Everything was going according to plan, and once Bartz was found and dealt with nothing would stand in His way. This world and Bartz's would come to heel.

Svete pressed the release button. Blue liquid drained out of the container and the empty shell within slumped to the bottom of the tank. The glass door slid open, and Svete crouched down to get a closer look at the clone. The monitors had shown everything working properly, except for the upper parts of the brain. It was a completely clean slate, without a flicker of will to resist or personality to inhibit.

Svete fumbled with a necklace hidden beneath his clothing. From under his shirt and tie came the glimmer of black crystal, marred with veins of faintly glowing violet. Several inches long and pointed on one end, it had been quite the find about a year ago. Svete had been researching natural materia caverns on North Continent when this crystal had caught his attention, and so he snatched it up.

He hadn't been quite the same since. Just an observer, not a doer.

The necklace was torn off the crystal and Svete's hand pushed back the clone's head, giving Him a good look at the powerful chest. Cloud was lean for someone that could commit amazing feats of strength, but no matter; all that mattered was the power this body held. This powerful body would make for a worthy host. If Sephiroth was here in any proper capacity, He wondered if the green eyed soldier would find this amusing or not.

Svete's other hand gripped the crystal, and took aim at the chest. A few moments passed before the shard was stabbed into the clone's body as hard as he could, digging in a measly inch. But, that was all it would take. It began to sink into the bleeding flesh as Svete's hand fell away.

Now the scientist could do. All he did was watch with fascination and dread.

The clone shuddered as the crystal slipped further in, stopping and leaving a round black bump above the skin. Slowly, the body began to change. The skin became an ashy grey as the nails blackened and lengthened into points, flexing repeatedly. The golden spikes of hair dulled and turned a shade of grey darker than the skin, and two short yellow horns grew from right above the pointed ears of the possessed clone.

It was all so fascinating. Cloud Strife's body was capable of so much with what he had been given, but he had merely lived as a courier. Svete thought men with greater ambitions could utilize such power better than one who wasted it away on attempting to be "normal". Greater than any Soldier, except in terms of priorities. Now something would put that body to use, but he felt certain it wasn't the being any of them intended it for.

The clone stood up and took a few tentative steps as Svete stood upright and walked to the side of the being. There was nothing he could do now to stop them, not now and not when it had possessed him. This being surpassed Sephiroth, something many of his colleagues had murmured about; and here he was, a scientist focused on materia, who helped meld two beings together to do what they had dreamed of!

It rang hollow, strangely.

"Cloud" opened his eyes, but they were no longer the rich and expressive blue of the original. These were hard, sickly yellow, the black sclera glinting in the artificial light of the lab. There was no pupil. He opened his mouth a little and pressed his black tongue against his yellow fangs, then smiled. "I, ExDeath, am free again!" he said in a deep, rough voice as he placed his hands on his hips.

Exdeath stretched this new body of his. He felt the demons that made up who he was slithering within the new body, waiting on his command to come forth. ExDeath laughed maniacally as Svete patiently studied this new creature in a slight daze.

Svete looked ExDeath up and down. This was the being that possessed him for so long? The being with immeasurable power? His evil aura was oppressive, making the air heavy in the lab. It was what he had felt right before he picked up the dark crystal, but much more powerful.

Still naked, Exdeath strode towards a cabinet that housed the clothing he had picked up for his eventual return. He may be a conglomerate of evil spirits clamoring for the Void, but he still had an image to maintain. He had found it troublesome on this world to find proper armor befitting him, but under the circumstances he felt no need for full plate as it was.

Black silk pants were stuffed into tall, black leather boots, several dark belts holding the clothing to his hips. A long black vest draped his shoulders down to his knees, open and revealing his grey chest; there were silvery clasps on one side, delicately dangling from the soft leather. Silver pauldrons covered both shoulders, jagged points gleaming in the artificial light. A dark, broad cloak of a heavy fabric pooled from under the metal, silver beads embroidered on the edges. Exdeath looked over his simple outfit with the help of a metal pane before donning finger-less gloves and metal gauntlets, then turned around to regard Svete.

This one found his prison and so foolishly picked it up in his greed. He was a terrible host but for his ease of possession to help him find a better body and more power within an organization ExDeath had no desire to run. Once his power fully returned and Bartz was captured he would eliminate it along with everything else. Until he was no longer needed, Svete would be the face in charge of everything still. ExDeath pointed at the scientist, using what little magic he had use of for now to warp the man's brain into obeying him. Svete was haughty and weak, but ExDeath would not risk a possible change in the scientist's heart.

"Run things as they are, and keep up the hunt for Bartz. I want those crystal shards of his!" ExDeath rubbed his angular chin, thinking. Yes, Sephiroth spoke of materia crystals, especially of a Black Materia. If Bartz's crystals could resonate with the Huge Materia as Svete theorized they would do, then perhaps he could make use of the Black Materia in some fashion to summon the Void.

After all, this world had no crystals to uphold it. It was adrift with only a stream of energy to give it life, and it was quite weak. If ExDeath could squish that insect Bartz, it never would have crystals. Everything was stacked against the Warrior of Light, as it was. He dredged up the memories of Sephiroth speaking of his plans, ones thwarted by the man he recently disposed of. The man whose clone he possessed.

Where was the Black Materia...He would search for it, deep in the Northern Crater. That was where the Silver General had his final confrontation. There was no hurry with the majority of his enemies dead or soon to be dead. He would have to take his time as it was, his powers not as formidable as they would be soon. "I need transport to the Northern Crater."

"T-The Northern Crater?" Svete's old green eyes darted back and forth as they gazed at the floor. He dared not disobey, he could not disobey.

ExDeath sneered. "Can you not acquire the use of one of those flying contraptions? Helicopters?"

Svete looked up and waved his hand. "Of course I can. The issue is in your appearance, and the weather surrounding the area lately. You may have to take a ship to get to North Continent, and find other transport when you get there."

A huff came from the demon's mouth. Soon, he would squish Svete. "Just get me transport to where ever the crater is located. I'll get there myself if your mechanical toys are that weak."

The middle aged scientist nodded. "Right away." Svete scuttled off to arrange the transport as ExDeath waited impatiently. Magic was so much more efficient, but here he was, dependent on mortal transport. For now.

Whatever brought him closer to his goal.

* * *

The two Turks left the WRO building, dressed still in their white doctor outfits. Everything was in order as far as they could tell; Cloud and Tifa were rescued, they brought up a container with wood ash and their jewelry to fool everyone in the WRO into thinking the two were dead, and weaseled away some folders on Cloud from the labs. Now they just had to get back and report to Tseng.

"The car should be about a block away, Chuck," Cissnei said quietly to the blond Turk after making sure they were out of the hearing range of the two security guards by the door. She pointed towards the corner of the building and a side road.

Chuck nodded, casually stretching on the sidewalk in front of the building. They both started their walk towards the hidden vehicle as a WRO car slowly came in to park beside them. "Feels good to be outta there. Place was starting to give me the creeps," the Turk remarked.

"Yeah." The vibes coming from the building had had her on edge since she arrived, especially in certain areas of the lab. It felt unnatural, heavy. She couldn't tell if it was nerves or her Turk intuition telling her something was very wrong, but she leaned towards the latter. Something was very off about everything happening there.

When Tseng had contacted her about this job, Cissnei agreed to it as soon as "rescue Cloud Strife" was drawled out from the phone. This would be the second rescue mission the Turks would be on involving the spiky headed trouble magnet, and she silently promised to Zack that this time, they would succeed. She would like to think the exciteable First Class would give her a thumbs up for saving his buddy.

The scientists she answered to clamored for more cell samples from Cloud, disappointed when she explained to them she wasn't instructed to collect samples from the distraught warrior strapped to an examination table. They seemed disinterested in Tifa, even of her demise as if it were nothing.

Cissnei herself hated having to play the bad guy to Cloud, even if it was for his own good at the time. His reactions made her all the more convincing to any who watched the cameras, and even though it pained her to see one of Zack's dearest friends react with unrestrained fear and loathing towards her it was exactly what they had needed at the time.

The relief on Cloud's face as she released him had been a balm. After everything was hopefully fixed up, Cissnei hoped to talk to the former infantryman. About Zack, about their escape from Nibelheim, anything and everything about that time period if he would let her. She would understand if he didn't want to, if his reaction in the OR was any indication of his past.

They were almost at the corner of the sidewalk when the two Turks heard the doors to the building open. A horrible feeling crawled through them, and neither one could help but turn to look back at whomever was leaving the building. It felt as if an invisible, vile fog was creeping at their feet and climbing, urging them to run.

It was Svete, the scientist almost towering over a shorter man dressed all in black and silver with a hood hiding their head. Svete seemed beholden to the mysterious stranger, the scientist motioning him towards the car as they walked briskly. The stranger felt...wrong. Cissnei hated to use the word, but evil was all that screamed in her head. The security officers she glanced at before returning her gaze to the stranger seemed just as uncomfortable as she and Chuck.

Time stood still as the hooded stranger turned to glare at the two Turks. Cissnei's heart skipped a beat, the stranger almost looked like Cloud. The same angular features, the same brow and cheekbones, his bangs drooping over his eyes. The eyes were blue but not Cloud's at all. There was something hateful and malevolent looking back at her through those eyes. He smirked before turning back and entering the car as Svete opened the door for him.

It closed and the vehicle slowly took off, leaving the three in silence. The security guards bristled at their posts by the door, and Svete regarded the two Turks. The middle aged scientist shuffled over to them.

Cissnei and Chuck put on the most neutral faces they could muster as that hideous unease rooted in their guts. "An interesting visitor," Chuck inquired with an even voice.

Svete nodded. "He will be in charge of our northern search for the alien," he stated. He scratched at his chin. "We are still hoping for a successful live capture of the specimen, but if not there will still be plenty to analyize."

Cissnei nodded quickly. "Yes, yes...After this afternoon-"

"I do wish you would have gotten a few more samples out of them, but I feel neither of you had been properly debriefed about that..." Svete sounded almost unconcerned, unlike the scientists directly underneath him.

All but a few of them who took the news quietly, their eyes filled with an unspoken horror.

Chuck nodded slowly. "We apologize about that."

Svete's dark eyes brightened. "It's no matter. Soon we will have the alien in custody, and then we can get down to business." He rubbed his hands before tapping the tips of his fingers together. "It's our duty to discover how dangerous this being is, after all."

Before either Turk could reply, a phone rang out. Svete almost jumped before clasping a pocket of his grey pants and then dipping his spindly fingers in. He took out his phone before giving a dismissive nod to the two, walking away and back into the building.

The two Turks watched warily as the glass doors shut behind the council leader, a tense silence in his wake. They turned about and returned to their path towards their escape from this off-putting building; the further from here they were the more at ease they would be.

They traveled down the poorly lit street, that tension seemingly following them like an evil specter. Cissnei kept her head forward and back straight, but her mind was buzzing with new questions. Who was that man that looked so very much like Cloud? Why were they starting a search on North Continent? What was that repulsive, vile miasma?

Eventually they began hiding in the shadows where the street lights couldn't reach them. They were Turks, and they could hide almost as well as the Wutaian spies and ninjas who had roamed Midgar right after the Wutai War. Cissnei looked back towards the building now, seeing nothing out of place. It was calm for now. She had a feeling their luck would change soon, and quickened her pace.

Chuck matched her, feeling the same as his associate. Tseng needed to know about this new person, and they would have to rummage through Cloud's folder. The face was much too familiar for them not to investigate. The blond Turk let out an unsteady sigh, wondering could possibly be going on behind the scenes that they were not privy to.

The vehicle, sleek and black, greeted them in the dark. Chuck unlocked and took the driver's seat before unlocking the front passenger seat for Cissnei to enter. They both let out a sigh of relief, as if the vehicle shielded them from that place. Chuck turned the engine and they were off, towards the outskirts of Edge and towards Healen Lodge.

Chuck took the folder out of his coat and handed it to Cissnei. She took out a small flashlight to look over the papers held with in as she pulled open the yellow folder. A photo from his I.D. took up a portion of the first page, his frown staring back at her. The page had all of his vitals at the time of arrival, height and weight and any noticeable scars or other defining features.

"Subject is extremely hostile towards medical and scientific personnel. Please use caution when dealing with subject." Cissnei snorted. "You didn't want him to cooperate in the first place."

The next page detailed samples they had taken. A little skin here, and a pint of his blood there. A tissue sample had been taken before he had escaped, a small piece of flesh on his leg. Cissnei hadn't seen the incision, but he probably healed it before she had to restrain him in the lower lab with Tifa. There were a few notes here and there, and a lab where the samples had been taken to.

Lab D-4 was restricted, and no matter how much she wanted in she knew she couldn't press her luck. Too many cameras in the halls, too many questions. That a restricted lab held Cloud's samples wasn't strange at all, but what was strange was that they were only going to this lab and not any other restricted rooms.

The two others detailed his new restraints and the biopsy requested, which organs to poke and prod and scrape, how much tranquilizer was actually needed to keep him down for a set period of time and what to do if he became unresponsive. The very last one was a form signed by Svete, authorizing everything.

Cissnei took out her phone and dialed Tseng. After three rings his dry voice greeted her ear. "Cissnei." There were many voices mumbling in the background.

"Director, we're on our way back." She closed the folder and held it on her lap as Chuck took them on the highway and sped up. "But, there's something else that happened before we left."

"What is it?" Cissnei recounted the mysterious stranger. She could feel Tseng's frown as he responded back. "He looked like Strife? Are you sure?"

"Yes, and if Svete wasn't lying, he's going to North Continent."

There was a pause on Tseng's end, though Cissnei could still hear the many voices in the background. "Do you have any papers from the labs?"

"Yes, but they don't say much. His samples went to lab D-4."

"I'll ask Reeve. He should know his own building," Tseng replied. "Get here as soon as you can. We're running on borrowed time as it is."

"Director?"

"There were...complications, in retrieving Reeve and the others. Once the WRO finds out they will probably pay us a visit," Tseng said flatly.

Cissnei took in a deep breath. Everything had to be complicated. She would have liked simple for once.

"Cissnei, can you look behind us?" Chuck asked.

She complied; there were lights from down the road in the distance. On the ground, in the sky. The grip on her cellphone tightened. "Director. We're going to take a stop in Kalm. You might have company over soon."

A pregnant pause. "I see. I'll make arrangements for our guests, then. Keep on the lowdown until I contact you again." Click.

Cissnei put the cellphone down and stared at it, anxious. "I think we're about to be way over our heads."

"Again?" Chuck said, much too cheerfully as he pulled onto the Kalm exit.

She let out a humorless chuckle and nodded. "Again."


	16. An Unlikely Ally

Tseng didn't like what he had heard. He didn't like it at all. The motley group chattering and planning nearby got his attention, and he looked for the three people that needed to hear about this the most: Rufus, Reeve, and Cloud.

He caught their eyes one by one, Rufus first, then Cloud, then Reeve. Each with a subtle move of his head they understood; something happened. As soon as they separated from the rest, who continued on with their plans he walked them towards Rufus' desk. "They're coming."

Rufus snorted, as if not surprised in the least. "Get Reno and Rude on it, then," he said almost dismissively.

Tseng nodded, then gave him a good hard stare. "There was something else, sir." He looked at Cloud, then Reeve. "Do you know anything about lab D-4?"

Reeve looked down towards his feet, brow furrowed. "D-4...That lab was used for testing regeneration tanks."

"Regeneration tanks?" Rufus inquired.

Reeve looked back up. "Yes. We have a few up and running that are useful for exhaustion and certain injuries, nothing too severe. They aren't particularly impressive now, but they've helped here and there during the Deepground Incident."

"I see my donations have gone to interesting things..." Rufus mused.

"Hm." Tseng moved his gaze to Cloud. "They...took samples from you. Correct?"

Cloud's face darkened in response. "What does that have to do with this lab you're asking about?"

The Turk pursed his lips. "Cissnei and Nunka were leaving the WRO building when they spotted a man that looked...similar to you."

"...Similar?" The spiky haired warrior narrowed his eyes.

"If Cissnei is to be believed, almost to a T," Tseng said. "She said he felt unnatural."

"You aren't implying they cloned Cloud of all people, are you?" Rufus asked.

"That...is a possibility," Reeve said hesitantly. "But for what purpose, I can't fathom."

Cloud rubbed his face. "So Svete had a copy of me made?"

Tseng shrugged. "If not you have an evil doppelganger working for the WRO," he said flatly. "We know nothing about this new person except he's to search for Bartz on North Continent." He waved his hand towards the rest of the chattering group. "The more pressing concern right now is leaving before the WRO gets here. We should have about an hour before they arrive."

Rufus nodded. "I have a ship at a port in another town, south of the Chocobo Farm. We should head to the other continent from there."

"I'll make the arrangements," Tseng said as he headed towards the door.

"What about Cissnei?" Cloud asked.

"Those two will be fine for now. There is a safe house in Kalm," Rufus assured him.

Reeve sighed. "This is becoming more than it should be."

Cloud turned around to walk towards everyone congregated. "It's been more than it should be since the first night it began."

The group was alerted to the WRO coming their way, and were guided out to Barret's truck after commanding the remaining chocobos to head to the Chocobo Farm. There was enough room in the back for everyone and Fenrir when they checked. Reeve lingered by his vehicle, taking out a container before joining the rest.

"I don't think our IDs gonna do it this time around," Barret stated as he placed Cait Sith into the little seat next to his. Reeve had clout at the road block before Healen Lodge. Now, they weren't so sure.

Tseng hummed. "We might have to use the less traveled roads to get to our destination. It should keep us out of trouble until we reach the town."

Barret pulled himself into the driver's seat. "Yeh, then we got a whole 'nother problem gettin' inside the town walls."

"I'll show you the road that leads directly towards the port. That way if we have to fight our way in it's not prolonged."

"D'you got this ship on standby?" Barret asked with a raised brow.

Tseng waved his hand. "They'll be ready by the time we get there." He walked towards the back of the truck to check on the others before circling towards the front passenger seat. He looked into the darkness of the cabin and noticed Bartz shadowing Cloud as the warrior brought his bike into the truck.

Bartz glanced at a groaning lump in the corner of the truck in the low light. It was squirming and moaning. "Umm..."

Cloud raised a brow as he put up Fenrir's kickstand, then approached the mass, seeing it clearly. It was a WRO trooper, hogtied and missing his helmet. "You guys took a hostage?" The young man's eyes widened with fear and recognition as Cloud came closer. He pulled loose the gag in his mouth. "I thought I heard someone in here."

"C-Cloud Strife?" The soldier looked between he and Bartz. "This is it, isn't?"

Bartz frowned. "What?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "No, this isn't it. You're still comin' with us, though. Can't have you going back to the WRO."

"B-but you're possessed by the alien!"

Cloud looked back at Bartz, the young man frowning before setting himself down in a corner of the truck. Faris sat next to him as she entered the truck, ignoring the exchange as if it were beneath her. Cloud looked back at the soldier. "He's not that kind of alien." He decided that until he calmed down, the soldier was not going to be untied.

The large group settled into the back, the Turks huddling together and AVALANCHE dispersed about the walls of the truck. Tifa and the children surrounded Cloud; despite the circumstances it felt good. "It might be a while everyone, so try and get some rest."

Yuffie snorted, her face faintly illuminated by the light of Nanaki's tail. "Gonna be hard to rest with everything that's happening, Spike."

"Regardless, it would be nice to have some quiet time," Vincent said flatly.

Cloud grinned tiredly. "Yeah." He settled after a while, leaning his head against the metal of the truck wall and listening to the engine and tires. He soon felt himself floating off, but it felt strange. More like a trance, that which was around him spread thin.

 _"Your cells have been taken."_ The Voice wasn't a voice, it was something else. It was like thought and feeling wrapped together with intuition, wordless communication that acted like words. Cloud remembered it from a time and place he wished blotched from his memory. It was alien and yet infused within his very being.

 _'Huh?'_

 _"Cellular material has been taken from you. Call to them, if you wish to find them."_ The Voice was coming from inside of him.

Cloud was confused and slowly becoming agitated. Call on his cells? _'What do you want?'_ he demanded. He had a bad feeling welling in his gut.

 _"I want you to recover your cells."_

 _'...Jenova?'_ Who else would it have been?

 _"Yes. We are together. Call on your stolen cells, find them."_

Cloud opened his eyes and a grayish landscape of pale light greeted him. He wasn't in the truck anymore, and didn't feel his family leaning on his body. He did feel a presence all around him, however. It was like translucent shadows moving under the fabric of the landscape in front of him. _'Together?'_

 _"You hold the largest cluster of my cells. Our cells. Another holds your cells."_

He furrowed his brow. Lots of people were infected with Jenova cells. _'This is another trick by Sephiroth, isn't it?'_ He chuckled bitterly. _'Get out of my head.'_

He felt the alien presence shudder inside and outside of him. _"He is...gone. Only you remain."_

 _'I'm not gonna be your puppet,'_ he spat in his thoughts. _'I won't ever be like him, or you.'_

The presence seemed to shirk away before again resuming its embrace on his mind. _"This is mutually beneficial."_

"Um, Cloud?"

"What's wrong with him?"

 _'I bet.'_ He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them up again. Rarely, Sephiroth would come to him. Sometimes in a nightmare, where he would rain destruction on everything he cherished, other times he would torture Cloud in one fashion or another until he woke up. Sometimes he would call out to him and call Cloud a puppet while he was awake. Strangely, it had been a year since he had heard anything, much to his relief. Even Jenova's tiny and unintelligible murmurings had been silent, until now.

 _"I wish to exist. Do you not wish to exist, Cloud?"_

 _'Just tell me why you're contacting me all of a sudden, won't you? I doubt it's for anything good.'_

"C-Cloud?"

"Oh Gaia, we're gonna be assimilated!"

"No, we are not."

 _"A being has our cells. Not many, but enough to help us. Would you like to know where they got them from?"_ Cloud thought back to his stay in the WRO science department, and Jenova almost seemed to chuckle. If it could be called that at all; it was an alien feeling. _"Very good."_

Cloud swallowed. _'They...They didn't clone me, did they?'_

 _"Yes, they did. The one who defeated Sephiroth's soul lives within the new body."_

He paused, growing unease in the pit of his stomach. _'Defeated Sephiroth's soul...?'_

 _"They vied for control, and Sephiroth could not best him. He was defeated by one who wishes to eliminate creation. He is inimical to existence."_

 _'Why are you telling me this?'_ There was nothing he could do if someone single-handedly defeated Sephiroth and now had their sights on destroying everything. Was there? Jenova seemed to think so.

 _"I do not wish to perish. ExDeath is after the Black Materia. If he gets ahold of it and uses it for his plans, we all will be blotted out from existence."_ There was a pause. _"My nature is to spread. While you...refuse me my nature, ExDeath would refuse my existence completely."_

 _'ExDeath?'_ Immediately images of the blue shrouded man who conspired with Sephiroth played in his mind. Then a battle in darkness that he had never seen before that cut off as one force defeated another. Cloud remembered him. Sephiroth was a fool to work with him, Cloud thought. _'He wants the Black Materia...I thought it was lost?'_

"T-Tifa, what's wrong with Cloud?"

"...I don't know, Denzel. I think...you should move."

 _"No. It won't be easy to find, but it's still there. I can feel his desires, can't you? There is so much you could do..."_ He could almost feel slimy tentacles on his shoulders now, slithering down his chest. Cloud cringed and the alien presence let out the equivalent of a sigh as its host tensed. _"This is not the time to fear what you can do through me."_

What could he do? Jenova wanted him to use powers he never thought of using that came from its DNA. DNA meshed into his body. _'I don't think it would be wise to trust you.'_

 _"Then don't. I am nothing more than a symbiote now because of what had been done to me. Cut into slivers and blotted out until I was spread thin. Sephiroth utilized me, and allowed me to spread as he saw fit, but not as I should spread."_

 _'Are you saying Sephiroth...was detrimental to you?'_ Cloud asked incredulously. How much was truth and how much was a lie? This creature he was melded with against his will destroyed countless planets before it landed on this one. It used guile and its own cells to assimilate life into itself.

 _"At first, no. His goals lined with mine. But the way he used my cells when I could not use them as I did so long ago...Ruinous,"_ the Voice hissed. The squirming shapes under the fabric of reality stiffened as the Voice spoke.

"Hm?"

"This doesn't bode well."

Cloud let out a huff. He supposed it didn't matter so long as Jenova couldn't do what she had done in the distant past. He knew Jenova couldn't, or Geostigma would have been something far, far worse than a terminal autoimmune response. _'You want me to use you,'_ Cloud stated.

 _"You already do. Did you think it was the mako treatments that let you mend yourself together so easily? Or perhaps some other experiment you were put through? I suppose you trust me enough to heal you, don't you?"_

 _'...I didn't ask for this.'_ He had at one time in his life, but teenage boys rarely looked at the fine print. It was never mentioned that the Soldier process required alien cells, anyway.

 _"Neither did I. We both live, however. I would like to continue existing...even if it's only in you."_

 _'Sorry if I'm a boring host.'_ he replied dryly.

A shudder rippled through Cloud as the alien force communicated its feelings. _"So much potential...Listen to me, Cloud. ExDeath wishes to bring the Void forth. If he succeeds, nothing you have done will have mattered. Nothing I have done will have mattered. Warn your little friends."_

 _'I...'_ The last thing Cloud wanted was to be trapped in Jenova's web. Certainly her influence was so much weaker than before, he could feel that his will would overpower hers if she attempted to usurp his control on his body. But he knew well enough that Jenova could be looking for a way to use him towards her own ends, a puppet without strings.

 _"I am asking for the assistance of the one who defeated Sephiroth three times over. While I do not understand your concepts of love and hate, I do understand fear...I am doing this because it benefits me. It just so happens it benefits you as well."_

Cloud sighed heavily, nodding. If Jenova was planning anything down the road he would face it when that time came. Right now they had an enemy so terrifying it had a shapeshifting alien clamoring for assistance from the last person it probably wanted to talk to. _'So how do we stop ExDeath?'_

 _"He thinks of crystals and Void. ExDeath believes this world has no crystals to protect it, but I can't help but wonder if your friend...Bartz...has the solution to that."_

 _'His crystals.'_ His eyes traveled towards the spot Bartz and Faris would have taken up if he wasn't...where ever he was.

"Yer dream friend is givin' us the evil eye, Bartz."

"Uh..."

 _"ExDeath still wants him found. He thinks him dangerous to his plans."_ The alien paused, as if mulling over something. _"My focus is here with you, and not with ExDeath. He doesn't have many cells. It is harder to hear."_

 _'What will you do?'_

 _"I will tell you what I know through the cells harbored within him as I glean information from them. But...right now you should probably talk to your friends."_ The Voice that wasn't a voice seemed to be slightly amused.

 _'...Why?'_

"Reno."

"Cloud, if you don't stop with the freaky shit I'm gonna have to get physical, yo."

Cloud winced, then rubbed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about...?" He looked up. In monochrome he saw everyone on the opposite walls of the truck staring at him like he had grown wings. He felt around, but nothing seemed out of place.

Tifa scooted towards him slowly, cautiously. "Cloud..." she said in a quiet voice. "You were muttering under your breath." Her eyes looked like she had experienced more than just muttering. He would ask her later.

"Your eyes looked a lot like Sephiroth's, Cloud." Bartz said from the corner he anxiously sat at. "That was...pretty creepy."

"...Oh." He shook his head, cringing at the thought. "Um..." Cloud bit his lip, he didn't want Tifa and the others to worry, but it looked like they were already beyond worried. He was hesitant to say anything, but if Jenova was telling the truth..."Bartz."

"...Yes?"

"I...Do you remember ExDeath?"

Bartz nodded, still eyeing his friend warily. "Yeah. He nearly destroyed everything when he took command of the Void. So, what made you bring him up all of a sudden?" he asked.

Cloud nodded. "I...I think he's the one behind all of this. He's...after something."

"After what?" Vincent asked.

Cloud swallowed. "The Black Materia."

Tifa was next to him now, and he could see the tension in her face. He very gently touched her hand with his, and she flinched. Cloud softly rubbed her hand. "I'm fine, Tifa," he murmured to her.

She shook her head, unconvinced. "What happened?"

He sighed long and heavy. "It was...Her."

Tifa's eyes widened. "What did she want?"

Cloud closed his eyes and rubbed his face. "...To help."

* * *

They were nearly upon Healen Lodge. Their former leader and his ragtag group and captured their compatriots and spirited one away with them to do who knows what.

A Turk assisted them, the captured had said before being taken to the WRO building for testing. Why a Turk would help them none of them knew. They did know that the alien had been sighted in the Grasslands area, so perhaps Shinra had been assimilated. The soldiers involved wondered if they were prepared for what awaited them at Healen Lodge, a hodgepodge of assimilated humans waiting for them...

Several tanks, helicopters and a transport vehicle approached the former resort. A lieutenant briskly charged out of the transport vehicle, followed by a platoon that formed behind him. The tanks aimed at the main building and the helicopters kept their lights trained on the area.

Up they charged as quickly as they could over the stairs, the warm lights of the main building an inviting glow despite the tension filling the air. It could be waiting beyond those doors, and all they had were rifles and a powerful fire materia. A light focused on the door, white light flooding the wooden porch.

The lieutenant came up to the door as his soldiers filed onto the porch, and tested the doorknob. It was unlocked. At the whispered count of three he opened the door and charged in, greeted to...nothing. It was an empty space, with a sofa and desk and a hallway leading somewhere. He thought he heard something down the hall, but the sounds of the helicopters made it difficult for him to make out what it could possibly be.

He readied his fire materia.

There was a master bedroom at the end of the hall, and he could make it out now. In the darkness there was a steady, high pitched beep. He swallowed heavily; this was a trap! He turned his head.

"Get out, now!"

He charged as quickly as he could out of the hall, but it was too late. He hadn't noticed the wires in the crooks between the walls and the floor. He hadn't noticed they continued through the office and around the lodge. All he could hear was the beeps coming closer and closer together as he desperately tried to usher his platoon out of the blast zone.

It was a particularly pretty explosion, if he could have seen it. One right after another, shooting off explosions and colorful fireworks into the night sky as the cloud of dust and rubble grew. The helicopters had to make emergency landings on uneven ground, rolling them off the hills until a thick tree stopped their tumble. Tanks became disabled as playful explosions destroyed their ability to move. Soldiers were tossed to the ground and flung through the air.

The lieutenant came to on his back, staring at the night sky. It looked like the Shinra got the jump on them, and now they would have to double their efforts.


	17. Calm Before the Storm

Bartz wasn't really sure what to think as Cloud whispered to Tifa about something he couldn't hear. Her voice was worried and his was trying to be reassuring, that much he could pick up. Bartz was unsure how effective that might be, however.

Everything in the dark truck had been fine as they traveled to some destination he never visited on this world, then a strange whisper started. Then the air in the truck became heavy and full of static, as if it were alive and moving. Bartz looked at Cloud as a few people queried his name, and his eyes were open and staring into the other wall; they were cat-like and glowing green, similar to Sephiroth's if not an even richer jade hue.

When Cloud turned to face him, Bartz couldn't help but shudder. Everything just felt wrong. _'And he was afraid of me?'_

Cloud was doing something in the dark, his blue glowing gaze on his son, Denzel. The boy moved towards Nanaki, his face illuminated by the creature's tail. He noticed Cloud's eye twitch before looking away. Bartz was creeped out, but it didn't make him feel any less for his friend. Cloud put himself in danger to help him, so why wouldn't he return the favor? If there was a danger, that was.

What was with him talking about ExDeath all of a sudden, anyway? Cloud had said nothing more of the villain, instead trying to soothe Tifa's nerves and let everyone know he was alright, that he was in control. That had just made Bartz feel a little more uncomfortable. In control of what, Jenova or the situation?

"Ye think he's possessed?"

Bartz snapped his head towards Faris. He couldn't quite make out her features in the dark. "I dunno." Didn't he say he had Jenova cells injected into him? Maybe that was it. Bartz wasn't totally sure how that worked. Was his friend being assimilated into Jenova, just like he was afraid Bartz himself would do when he landed on this planet?

He shuffled over to Cloud, wary but concerned. "Hey."

Cloud turned to look at him, his glowing blue eyes watching back appraisingly. They were no different than that night he came to his campsite and watched him in his tent. "Hey." His voice was subdued, hesitant. "Are...are you doing alright?"

"I think I should be asking that of you," Bartz replied.

He heard a sigh pass Cloud's lips and watched his eyes bob in a nod. "I'm fine. Really." Cloud studied Bartz in the darkness. "It's...complicated." He looked away.

"We can't help you if you don't wanna talk, Cloud."

"It's not something you can help," he said quietly.

Bartz scratched the back of his head. "Oh. But you'll be fine, right?"

Cloud looked back at him. "Yeah...Look, when we get to the ship I'll explain more, okay?"

"I'm gonna hold you to it."

"Alright." The spiky headed warrior let out a subdued, forced chuckle before Bartz crawled back towards Faris.

"So what's wrong with him?" Faris asked.

Bartz shrugged. He figured it was that Jenova thing, but he wouldn't know until later. "He said he'd tell us when we got on the ship. He seems fine right now..."

"He seemed fine 'til the truck felt like the ship graveyard," she responded flatly.

"Guess we'll have to wait to find out." Find out about that, about ExDeath and a thing called the Black Materia...Cloud wasn't talking. Maybe he's trying to figure out how to say everything, Bartz thought. He began to rest again, deciding not to fret over it until they knew more.

* * *

Cloud had his legs tucked into his chest, his eyes closed. He felt alone again, but he couldn't really blame anyone for keeping a wide berth. At least Tifa was close by, and Bartz drummed up the courage to check on him. The others had been watching him closely, fear and a lot of concern on their faces. Rufus had a delicate but thoughtful frown on his face, and Reno was pretending to not care as he mumbled to Rude about something inane.

He wondered if Reeve told Barret and Tseng. Cloud thought better of it, because Barret hadn't stopped the truck to snatch the kids out of his reach. He looked towards Tifa, the woman right next to him with Marlene and Denzel. He glanced at the boy; he looked back at Tifa before he accidentally manipulated Denzel again.

"How long have we been on the road?" he whispered to her.

She turned her head to look at him, her face more relaxed than it had been minutes ago. "Several hours, if I'm not mistaken."

He frowned. "Didn't feel like it."

Tifa rubbed her eyes. "Your...whatever you were doing, that was a few minutes. Most of the time everyone was napping."

"Oh." Cloud sighed, looking down towards the Fenrir's back wheel. "Sorry, Teef."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault."

The truck started to slow a while later, and then eventually stopped. The group heard muffled voices outside. Cloud could hear them; they were at a checkpoint for the port. Barret and Tseng were trying to bluff their way out of them checking the truck. He glared at the tied up soldier in the dark, and the young man got the point easily enough.

 _Use me._

"Huh?" Cloud looked around. The others were looking at him again, and he felt his face heat up.

 _One of them have my cells. Influence him._

Cloud hesitated. He didn't want to use Jenova. Not like this. The voices outside became more agitated, and he bit his lip. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked over to Tifa's wide, concerned eyes. "Is it her?"

"Yeah." He licked his lips nervously. "She wants me to use her to get past the checkpoint."

"...How?"

Cloud tapped his head. "She said one of them has her cells."

Tifa hummed and twiddled her thumbs. "I...I don't know. I don't know if you should."

"I couldn't help but overhear," Reeve whispered as he quietly came closer, "but it's getting desperate out there, Cloud."

Cloud hesitated, holding his breath. Barret's voice was straining to stay civil; they were running out of time. He hoped he wouldn't have to do this often, he didn't want to rely on that monster inside of him. But he had to in the past, didn't he? The warrior nodded before standing up and facing the truck wall, his forehead leaning on the cool metal. _'Let's do it.'_

 _I'll show you._

The world felt thin again and he felt his consciousness divide, snaking towards another as he was guided by that alien force. It was similar to what had happened with Denzel, but there was a big difference; in Denzel's case he had merely urged him to sit with Nanaki, he didn't see through his eyes. Cloud didn't want him to be so close as he tried to figure out how stable he actually was, but the ease in which he had taken to manipulating Denzel terrified him to his core.

He could see Barret's agitated face through the eyes of another this time, his sight not totally clear. Who was he? He was the man in charge of the checkpoint, the soldier's brain confided. Cloud was in control but also not; if he had to force him to do something Cloud felt he could with some difficulty. He urged the soldier to let them through, it would be a bad idea to hold up Shinra business. _They look like they have somewhere to go, and the Turks don't like to be held up._

Cloud felt the man tense, then felt him thinking as he looked down. The soldier held out his hand and looked back up. "Let them through."

"Sir?"

"They're on important business for Shinra, we don't want to get on their bad side, do we?"

"Well, no, sir. But-"

Cloud pressed again. _The WRO needs them as allies in the future, don't they?_ "Turks, private. Do you want Turks angry at you? I sure don't."

The other soldier looked around awkwardly, looking for someone, anyone to refute his superior. It was just him, his superior, and these two in a truck that were off for a supposed supply delivery for the Shinra. "Uh, no sir, I don't."

"Make your way to Pier Three." The soldier waved dismissively at Barret, and the truck was off again.

Cloud felt his connection loosening. _Relax and flow out._

It felt like many little lines slowly peeling off of the soldier's body and mind, and soon the world felt solid again. Cloud held onto the truck wall as he sucked in a breath of air as mild vertigo hit him. "Ugh..."

 _That wasn't so bad, was it?_

 _'It felt wrong.'_ Cloud opened his eyes slowly, then turned around and slid back down to sit on the bed of the truck. "The sooner we get out of this port the better."

He felt Tifa put a hand on his shoulder, a gentle touch through his hoodie. "Are you okay?"

He looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah."

"Barret and Tseng are thanking their lucky stars the soldier was properly intimidated by the Turks. Really, Cloud?" Reeve was smirking in the dark; Cloud chalked it up to relief and trying to relax the tense mood.

"Aw, you're gonna make us blush, yo," Reno drawled out.

Cloud shrugged. "I didn't have a lot of ideas lined up..."

Reeve nodded. "It worked, and there was no bloodshed."

Cloud left it at that. It had kept from unnecessary bloodshed. The soldiers and workers out there had families and friends, too. Hell, he probably helped a few of them out, he thought. He glanced at the captive, who stared back into those unsettling blue orbs with not just a little bit of fear. Cloud wanted to know his name, but not now. He looked away and settled where he sat, waiting for the go ahead to leave the truck.

* * *

Svete scratched the back of his head for the upteenth time that evening; it was an itchy spot that had been growing since ExDeath had left. His anxiety was flaring as he awaited news on the Healen Lodge raid, he had not heard news back since the commander called and said they were getting into position.

Did the Shinra give them a hard time?

It was agitating, knowing that somehow Cloud and Tifa had survived their ordeal. It was probably with the assistance of Shinra, which meant they knew something wasn't quite right. There was a strong possibility they were working with Bartz. He had wondered how the Shinra could have possibly saved them, and his mind immediately went to the two "scientists" that had been in charge of their biopsy.

Svete would find them later. Finishing off the ragtag group took priority. He might not even have to find them, once ExDeath was finished with his plans on North Continent. ExDeath...He would be upset with the events unfolding here. Or maybe not, depending on how his hunt went.

A call rang out from the phone on his desk and he quickly snatched it up. It had been nearly two hours since they last spoke. "Svete."

"Sir, it was a trap!"

Svete's heart skipped a beat and he felt a bead of sweat begin to form on his brow. "...A trap?"

The sound of static softly hummed from the phone as the commander breathed quickly. "They're gone, sir. Healen Lodge has been demolished by explosives left in their wake. We just now regained telecommunications!"

So, they were waiting for them. Svete had wondered if they would have had a last stand at the lodge, but it seemed the Shinra and Cloud's group were more interested in postponing death. Because that was what it was, a postponement; they would be found, and if not sooner then later.

Still, this was a dangerous predicament. What if they flee to the other continent? How? "Is there any trace of them?" Svete asked, his voice strained.

"We're looking, but nothing so far, sir."

"I want the entire area on lockdown. Villages, towns, ports, the Chocobo Farm. Rally all WRO forces and do a door to door search. Scour the countryside, we need them captured or dead if they do not come peacefully," Svete demanded in a calm, firm voice. He scratched the back of his head again, the itch was beginning to seep into his skull.

"Dead?" There was a heavy sigh on the other side. "Yes, sir."

Svete hung up the phone and leaned back in his seat. This could jeopardize everything. Who knows where they were headed, where they were hiding? If they weren't found, if they escaped elsewhere...

The phone ringed again after many minutes of pondering; he glanced at the clock on his desk and estimated it had been roughly half an hour since the last call. "Svete."

The voice was young and worried. "Sir, we have a situation at the docks-"

"Go after them!" Svete snapped. He intuitively knew what the issue was, and that his quarry was attempting escape by sea. "Stop dawdling and either capture or kill them!"

"Y-yes sir!" Click.

Svete slammed the phone down and crossed his arms in frustration. Everything was in absolute chaos because for some reason people who should be dead weren't dead, and people who should have been captured weren't captured. He promised himself if he ever found who was responsible for the escape of Cloud and Tifa, he would torture them first before killing them. But for now, he had to be proactive again.

He picked up his phone again and dialed another number. This one connected to a WRO station on West Continent, far to the south of Costa del Sol. He was greeted to the voice of another commander.

"I want you to go to Cosmo Canyon and acquire the Huge Materia there," Svete all but demanded.

The voice on the other end sounded hesitant. "Sir, that goes against several WRO laws."

Svete rubbed his forehead and sighed harshly. "And there is an alien on the loose. We need those materia before it gets a hold of them."

"The alien is here, on this continent, sir?"

"We don't know." He thought for a moment; this commander was going to give him trouble over morals and guidelines. "Alright, can you protect Cosmo Canyon from the alien menace?"

There was a moment's pause on the other end. "We can keep watch over it, yes."

"Good." That would give him more time to bring out...people...that would obey him entirely, he thought. "Make your way there, and keep a look out for strangely garbed persons and Shinra personnel, we think they might be working with the alien for some reason."

"Yes, sir." Click.

Svete leaned on his desk and wrung his hands. All he could do now was wait for results.

* * *

"Alright, everyone." Cloud and the rest of the ragtag group stood in the cargo bay of the ship, already out to sea with the port slowly falling away from view. They knew that eventually the WRO would give chase, and the ship's captain was told to go out into the eastern ocean.

They had filed out of the truck quietly, Barret and Cloud lifting their hostage out of the back before releasing him from his bindings. They warned him if he tried anything funny they were going to toss him overboard. He meekly sat himself by a cargo box, holding his knees to his chest.

Cloud scratched the back of his head, his cheeks pink. He absolutely dreaded this talk, because it would lead to more questions he didn't have the answers to. But he had something, and it was something that had to be shared. "I...had a little...episode-"

"And freaked us all out with your creepy eyes, let's cut to the chase, Spike," Yuffie said irritably as she waved her hand flippantly.

Barret frowned as he squeezed Marlene's hand. "The hell she talkin' about?"

Cloud groaned. "Jenova, she...it talked to me. Jenova is afraid of ExDeath. He...he somehow defeated Sephiroth's soul, that's what Jenova said." He ran a hand through his spikes and shifted his weight on his feet.

Before he could continue Vincent took a step forward. "Defeated Sephiroth's soul...?" Vincent was frowning, and it was more emotion than any had seen on his face in a long while. "His will wasn't purged from the Lifestream?"

"Um, well...no. I fought him about a year ago on some world I was taken to by some goddess, and-" Cloud glared at Yuffie. "I'm not making it up. He was there, too." He pointed at Bartz, who nodded.

"I was there once, too." Tifa said. "It was a strange place that ran off the energy created by skirmishes, of all things."

"I'd say it's bullshit, but if you experienced it too, Tifa, I'm gonna have to believe it," Barret grumbled. Yuffie nodded.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Glad my memory is held in such high esteem."

"There's a reason it isn't..." Reeve reminded his friend quietly.

He scowled. "Whatever." Cloud looked at Tseng and nodded. "Your were right about the clone. ExDeath is possessing it." He took in a deep breath and huffed.

"Wait, there's a clone of you?" Yuffie squeaked.

"That had to be Svete's goal. They took samples from me to clone me," Cloud said with a hint of anger tinging his voice.

"And who might ExDeath be?" Rufus inquired.

"I remember him. He was this tall man covered in blue, who wanted everything to die..." Tifa responded with downcast eyes.

Bartz nodded. "He tried to send my world into the Void. ExDeath exists to bring everything into nothing, including himself."

"Aye, and he be no pushover, either," Faris added as she sat on a cargo box.

Cloud took in a fresh drag of air. "He's after the Black Materia, and I have a feeling that it might be connected to this Void he's after." He looked at Bartz. "Jenova mentioned that ExDeath believes this world has no crystals, and that you're still dangerous to him. I think your crystals might hold the answer to saving our world."

Bartz glanced at his pouch before taking a crystal out. "I don't know how. They've been quiet since I've gotten here, too."

"Wait...he believes there are no crystals, or there are no crystals on this world?" Nanaki asked as he swished his tail.

Cloud looked down, his eyes flashing green just a moment and moving back and forth. Blue again, they looked at Nanaki. "Believes."

Nanaki stared at him and let out the breath he was holding. "So...is he wrong?"

Cloud was clearly uncomfortable having a back and forth with Jenova, and he closed his eyes as the answer came seeping into his mind. "He might be wrong...but...not yet." He crossed his arms. "What does that even mean?"

"What about the Huge Materia?" Tseng offered.

Cloud opened his eyes and nodded. "Maybe. It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"But what could they possibly do to help us?" Nanaki asked, his ochre eye full of worry.

Cloud shrugged. "I dunno. but if ExDeath thinks the Black Materia could help him, the Huge Materia might be able to help us."

Rufus nodded. "We spoke of this earlier. Perhaps there would be a reaction from the crystals if they came close to the Huge Materia?"

"That's right. You said Svete mentioned a resonance with the Planet...We go to Cosmo Canyon," Cloud said.

"Yeh, that's all good, but you got that spook talkin' to yeh," Barret reminded Cloud none too gently.

He looked down. "I can't help that." Cloud looked back up and shrugged. "Jenova said it was a symbiote now. I don't know how much I believe that, but if she tries anything, I'll handle it."

"But why did she contact you now?" Rude asked.

His eyes shifted then went back to blue. "Because any sooner and I wouldn't have listened to her anyway." Cloud snorted. "I have to agree."

"She could've helped you escape from the WRO, you know," Elena said dryly.

Cloud closed his eyes, then shook his head before opening them again. "She was aware of Rufus' plans." He looked at the Shinra president. "You still have Jenova cells in you from your Geostigma."

Rufus narrowed his eyes. "I see. In any case, we should probably take this time to prepare. They will probably chase after us soon, if they aren't on the way already." He turned around and headed towards the large metal stairs. "Use the supplies we have available at your discretion."

"Thanks." The group began to move, mostly towards the stairs. Cloud fetched his materia box before joining Tifa and Denzel; Marlene was being taken towards a hallway Reno motioned towards. He heard mention of snacks.

"Are you doing alright, Denzel?" Cloud asked.

He nodded. "Are you okay?" He was studying his eyes.

"I am. Don't worry, I'm still me," he said in a bid to reassure both he and Tifa.

Denzel smiled weakly at him, then his stomach grumbled. He looked down at his belly. "I'm kinda hungry."

Cloud nodded and looked towards the door Barret and Marlene just disappeared through. He hadn't eaten since he was captured, and he estimated it had been two days. Two days his body had been healing on nothing. "I'm pretty hungry, too. Let's get something to eat before Barret eats all the good snacks."

He walked towards the door and felt Tifa put a hand around his hip, and his arm immediately went to her shoulders. Cloud let out a little hum and glanced at Tifa, the martial artist looking back. There was wariness still in her eyes, but she looked more confident in his ability to be in control. The two would look at each other occasionally as they walked, gauging one another.

They passed through the door and followed Barret to a room with the word "KITCHEN" plastered above it. They entered the room; it was filled with snack machines, a coffee maker and microwave, stoves and what looked like a walk in freezer and a large refrigerator. There were tables all about. Cloud's stomach grumbled, a sound full of pleading need.

"So, Tifa..." He looked away from her and at a refrigerated display showcasing packaged meals and sandwiches.

"Hm?"

"How many cheeseburgers d'you think I can eat before the WRO finds us?"


	18. Battle on the High Seas

Cloud waited impatiently as the microwave did its magic, slugging back a strawberry milk he had found in one of the the fridges. He had three more bottles of it to go through, and when he was done with the platter cooking in the microwave he figured he could probably get one of the cold sandwiches Tifa was eating at the table. Or maybe some instant noodles. Or a donut.

The microwave dinged and Cloud took out his meal; it was made of four prepackaged double cheeseburgers. He had had them before and they were bland, sad things compared to Tifa's burgers. Still, they were the biggest calorie bomb he could find on the ship, and he needed calorie bombs.

He sat next to Tifa and Denzel; Barret and Marlene sat on the other side of the round table. Cloud placed down his milk bottles, opened up the steaming packages, and nearly chomped the first cheeseburger in two.

"Cloud, you're going to choke again," Tifa warned between bites of her sandwich.

"Nuh-uh," he mumbled back as he chewed, his cheeks stuffed with meat and bread and cheese. Gaia, it tasted better than he remembered.

Barret shook his head. "You teachin' the kids bad manners!"

Cloud glared at him, finishing his gigantic bite after a few more moments of chewing with an almost exaggerated swallow. "I haven't eaten in two days while the WRO took 'samples' from me. So I'll worry about manners when I'm finished." He took a bite of the remaining half of the burger, and after chewing it just enough the other half disappeared into his mouth before he took out the next cheeseburger.

Barret rolled his eyes. "Yeh, okay, fine. Kids, don't eat like him, or you're gonna choke."

Denzel slowly nodded as he gawked at Cloud, his chicken sandwich held limply in his hands. The warrior chugged down another strawberry milk before he began working on the cheeseburger in his other hand. Marlene stared as well, transfixed by her guardian's ability to stuff his face silly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, eating their food. Cloud was on his third burger when Tifa looked towards him. "I never would have thought that we would become the hunted. It's...ironic."

Cloud nodded before swallowing. "Yeah. And now we have to see if those Huge Materia can do anything to help us against ExDeath." He looked at Denzel and Marlene, his brow creasing as he watched them eat. "What do we do about them?" he asked Tifa as he turned back to her, his voice a whisper.

Tifa bit her lip. "I suppose we'll have to see where we can keep them safe. Rocket Town with Shera, maybe?"

"Yeah." Cloud began eating again, looking at the two children. He glanced at Denzel; he still couldn't get it out of his head that he had manipulated him. He wanted to apologize, but he was sure the child had no idea the mental suggestion was not his own. If he said anything, Cloud worried Denzel might try to avoid him.

He didn't think there was any reason to. He was fully in control of himself, it was just that he didn't quite know what he was doing at the time. Cloud had been afraid, disgusted, angry and frustrated. He didn't know that his thoughts would leak into the boy so easily. Maybe it was because they were so close.

"You still feelin' okay?"

Cloud's eyes snapped up to Barret's, and he nodded while chewing his dinner. "Like always."

Barret's gaze became piercing. "If anythin' changes, you better tell one of us, Spiky." Cloud's eyes darkened before Barret sighed and rubbed his face with his good hand. "I know we didn't give ya a reason to trust us after what happened, but...we still worry about you, man."

The warrior's eyes softened. "I know, Barret. I'll keep it in mind."

* * *

Bartz bent over and inspected the soldier hostage that stared back at him wide-eyed. He looked rather young, younger than himself, and absolutely terrified and confused. Faris had gone topside with most of the others, but Bartz was more interested in the soldier that had barely talked since they met.

"Um...How're you doing?"

The soldier blinked back. Bartz stood straight and cocked his head.

"I'll take that as 'not doing so good.' Well, you're not assimilated or something into any aliens, so that's good news, right?"

"Uh...Yeah," the soldier said uncertainly. "Unless something happens with..."

Bartz nodded. "I know Cloud's acting a little strange right now, but I think he'll be alright." He hoped. He looked towards the door Cloud had disappeared through, then back at the soldier. "My name is Bartz. What's your name?"

"...William." He scratched the side of his head nervously. "What are you planning to do with me?"

He was given a shrug in response. "I don't know. I guess you're stuck with us until we get to this Cosmo place or whatever."

"Cosmo Canyon."

Bartz rubbed the back of his head. "Right, I knew that." He sat down next to the soldier, leaning on the wall. "What are you gonna do when we get there?"

William shrugged. "I can't go back to the WRO, they'll test me for sure. The soldiers I was with are probably going through that right now." He looked up and sighed, then looked at Bartz. "You caused a lot of trouble."

"I didn't mean to...How was I supposed to know I was gonna land here of all places?" He was beginning to think there was a reason for that, though. Bartz glanced at his pouch before looking at William again. "Maybe trouble was brewing before I got here."

The soldier relaxed some more. "Maybe you're right. Things wouldn't be so out of line if President Tuesti had stayed in charge."

Bartz scratched the back of his head. That was one of Cloud's friends, he had told him he was friends with the leader of the WRO. Which one was it? "Uh, is he the sharply dressed guy?"

William nodded. "Reeve Tuesti."

He had heard the name directed at that man with the goatee. "Well, now I have a face to go with the name." Bartz's stomach made a noise and he looked the way Cloud and a few of the others went, then stood up. "I'm gonna see if they found any food."

William stood up with him and nodded. "I think I'll join you."

The two entered the hall and found the room they were looking for a few moments later. Opening the door they found Cloud's small group at a round table eating a meal. Tifa had her head in her hand as she sat next to Cloud; he had a small pile of refuse next to him as he ate what looked like noodles from a white cup.

Barret turned around, looked at them both, then motioned for them to come closer. "There's still some food left. Just keep away from the bottomless pit here, you might end up gettin' eaten."

Cloud glowered at the back of Barret's head. "I'm almost done," he said after slurping down a mouthful of noodles.

Barret turned back and Tifa looked up from her hand. "You've had four double cheeseburgers, a sandwich, two pastries and four bottles of strawberry milk. Any more and you're going to be absolutely useless when the WRO catches up with us," she said.

The warrior shrugged, then downed the broth in the container. "Fine, I'll wait until we get to Cosmo Canyon for some real food."

"I didn't know a person could eat that much without throwing up," Marlene remarked.

"My body needed it really badly."

"Oh."

Cloud slowly stood up and collected his trash before tossing it in a nearby trashcan as Bartz looked over the available food items. He fiddled with the machine fruitlessly before William stood next to him and showed him how it worked.

"Okay, so like this, and...Got it!" A packaged blueberry muffin dropped to the bottom of the machine and he fished it out. Bartz took a few more items and placed them in his traveler's sack, planning on sharing some with Faris. He opened up his package and munched on his muffin before turning towards the others.

"Any word topside?" Cloud asked as he stood behind a still sitting Tifa.

Bartz shrugged. "I didn't go up there, I was planning to after I got something for Faris."

"I see. Well, I'm gonna check." Cloud moved towards the entrance as Tifa began to leave her seat at the table.

The group began to leave and entered the cargo bay again. They were almost at the stairs when the PA system went off.

 **"Everyone topside, WRO spotted. Repeat, WRO spotted."**

"Damn." Cloud looked at the kids; there were no truly safe places on a boat in a battle. But they'd have to do something. "Teef, hide the kids near one of the escape boats."

"They gonna target those!" Barret argued.

Cloud nodded. "Everything is gonna be a target, but there's a chance they can escape if they're near one." He motioned around them. "If they hit us down here, it's gonna flood."

Tifa nodded and hurried towards the stairs with the children. Cloud went into the back of Barret's truck, the sound of metal against metal hitting the rest of the group's ears. After a few moments Cloud came out with his sword in one hand and a box in the other. There were leather straps over his hoody.

He lifted the box. "Pick your poison."

* * *

Faris held onto a rope affixed to the boat, staring off into the lights following them as she stood on the stern. The last several minutes had been filled with the sound of the sea and Yuffie's distant groans, and she looked behind her as the sound of feet now came to her ears; the faint glow of the boat's lights probably revealed the crazy smile on her face that Bartz would know very well.

She was in her element, the sea.

"They go against a pirate captain, Bartz."

"You don't know these seas, though," he responded.

She scoffed. "I'll know them soon enough." Faris walked closer, then put her hands on her hips. "This be a battle on the high seas!"

"At night," Cloud added. "It's gonna be difficult for both sides to see the other."

"Aye, but they're a bunch of bilgerats. I bet they can't even fight." She looked over her shoulder at the approaching lights, then back at the group. "If they think they be boardin' this ship they have another thing comin'."

"They might not try to board," Tifa said wearily. "They could just try and sink us."

"They woulda done that by now, I think," Barret said as he watched the black horizon.

Footsteps headed their way and they turned; it was Reno and Rude. "Their radar and all of that is scrambled, yo."

"They're gonna have to get up close to do any real damage," Rude said. "Should be thrilling."

Faris rubbed her chin. "I haven't had a good dogfight on the high seas in a long time. I'm gonna enjoy this!"

Bartz groaned. "Of course you would." The ship shook a little as one of the ships behind them came closer after a warning shot, the lights illuminating silhouettes of soldiers scrambling on the deck.

 _ **"This is the WRO. Surrender and allow us to board, or we must sink the boat."**_

The PA system came on again. _ **"This is Reeve Tuesti. Svete is using you all! He knows the aliens aren't dangerous. You would have been assimilated by now if it were true."**_

 _ **"We're under orders, Mr. Tuesti. For the good of the Planet."**_

Rufus' voice sounded next. _**"Back down now or face the might of Shinra and AVALANCHE."**_

"There's no use talkin'!" Faris roared. "There's only use in fightin' these scallywags!"

"I have to agree," Cloud said. The box he had been carrying was gone, Faris noticed. "I'm gonna keep them busy while Yuffie works on a little surprise." It would take a while, he figured. All the materia she would have to rummage through, then she would have to concentrate just enough...

He would have done it, but he didn't want her possibly gunned down in his stead.

"You ain't doin' this by yourself, Spiky!" Barret cocked his gun arm, making Bartz take a step back in surprise.

Cloud looked back and smirked. "Make sure you're aiming and not firing wildly into the fight, I don't wanna have to deal with friendly fire." Before Barret could grumble a retort Cloud ran off towards the approaching boat, leaping when he reached the edge of the ship and unsheathing his sword in mid-air. He split it into two blades before landing in front of a group of soldiers, rifles trained on him.

"Last chance to surrender, guys. I don't wanna kill you." He gazed at one soldier in particular and felt something twinge inside of him, and almost automatically part of Cloud seeped into part of the crowd. _Put down your weapon._

One of the soldiers lowered their weapon, and then another in the back of the group did so as well.

"Did you see his eyes? He's being controlled!" Cloud snapped out of his short trance by the panicked shout, and he brought his swords up.

"Shit." Bullets ricocheted off of his blades as he quickly blocked the hail of gunfire, then heard more shouts as more shots were fired. This time they weren't aimed at him, however. The two soldiers he had commanded earlier were fighting their comrades. He felt sick thinking about it, but he had to press on. He ran off towards the bridge as the confused soldiers fought among each other.

He sliced the door open and glowered at the captain as he turned to look at the blond intruder. "Are you gonna surrender yet?"

"Men! Stop him!"

There really wasn't a chance for them to fight back, and Cloud knew that he wasn't going to sleep well the next time he had the chance to lay down. This was life or death, he knew, but it felt so terribly unfair as he watched one opponent after the other fall in front of him.

He had hoped he would never have to do something like this again, but fate seems to love his sword work, he thought miserably.

One of Cloud's blades was pressing on the captain's neck, not yet drawing blood. "That was on your hands, not mine. Surrender the ship and the rest live."

Cloud had hoped the offer was good enough. Instead he was surprised by a powerful, icy force blasting him out of the bridge and onto his back. He grunted and stiffly moved his limbs as the icy magic clung to his joints.

"Hey, Cloud! Are you alright?"

He looked over at...he really wasn't sure what he was looking at. It looked like a man in armor that was in the form of a dragon while holding a lance. It sounded like Bartz, though. "Uh, hey."

Cloud tried to get up but stumbled about with Bartz as the ship violently shook. He looked around and noticed their ship was being rammed by the WRO ship. The grinding noise of metal on metal groaned through the night as Cloud finally picked himself up.

He looked at Bartz. "If there's any survivors, collect them in one place on the deck." He charged back into the bridge, using his larger blade to block the incoming ice attack. The captain was cut down a moment after, and Cloud overloaded the circuitry with his lightning materia before leaving.

It was absolute chaos outside. Another boat was next to this one and soldiers began filing on, even as the ship slowed. Faris was shooting off some sort of magic Cloud couldn't identify while laughing madly. Several helicopters flew above him, their machine guns trained on the blond warrior. One of the helicopters had a large gash on its belly and one of the guns were sliced in half.

Cloud blocked as much gunfire as he could from above and to his side, but a few bullets got through and hit his lower legs or shoulder. He was going to have to wait for them to stop to reload before attacking, if they didn't get a lucky shot in and killed him where he stood.

Faris let out a blinding light, the soldiers crying out in confusion as their ability to see was taken from them. She charged onto the other ship, her rapier out and swinging about. "We be takin' this vessel!"

Bartz leaped to her side, swinging his lance in a half circle and catching one of the still shooting soldiers in the arms. He followed Faris towards the bridge, but took a glance at the helicopters above Cloud before quickly following behind his friend.

Icicles pierced one of the helicopters, and it slowly banked towards the pitch black sea. Cloud had his opening and he used it to Blade Beam the group of soldiers, many being blasted away if not cut down where they stood. The metal bridge they used to board the ship cut away, preventing survivors from fleeing.

He leaped upward and sliced through the tail of another helicopter, the machine quickly losing control and spinning about in the air helplessly until it crash landed onto the deck twenty feet away. Cloud steadied his footing as the boat shoot from the impact, and he looked away.

The helicopter with the gash and broken gun lurched, then escaped back towards one of the other boats. Cloud was glad someone in this dogfight had a little reasoning left in them; this wasn't the place for young soldiers to play hero. The irony of his thoughts caused him to shudder slightly.

One soldier recovered from the spirit attack and aimed again, and Tifa immediately charged over and pummeled him to the ground before roundhouse kicking another into the ship wall. Ice flew from her hand as she gracefully twirled, and a soldier found his rifle frozen to his hands.

She jogged over to Cloud. "Yuffie is going to be ready soon," she said quietly.

Cloud nodded before recovering and readying another attack. "Get who you can onto our ship. We don't have to kill everyone." He glared at an approaching group, and that same feeling he had earlier came again. Jenova was working through any soldier previously infected with Geostigma, he realized.

The two soldiers affected hit their comrades with the butts of their guns and just stood there, unresponsive. Cloud's eye twitched. _Put down your weapons and go to my ship._

They did as asked, and Cloud sighed heavily. He felt Tifa's hand on his shoulder as Faris and Bartz came back onto the boat they were on. He felt a delightful tingle go through his injuries. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Yeah. There's...there's a lot of people that used to have Geostigma, Teef."

She knew what he was trying to say. "You're trying to save who you can, aren't you?"

"Yeah." He turned to look at her, his eyes blue and haunted. "This isn't their fault. Svete lied to them. And I..." He didn't want Jenova's power, but it helped them.

Tifa's smile was the reassurance he needed at that moment, and she gave it to him. "Well, let's get out of here before Yuffie's done."

Cloud tiredly smiled back before motioning to the other two soldiers from earlier to come with them. He turned around to see Reno and Rude hoisting up some of the injured soldiers. Rude had a subdued but satisfied smile on his face along with a few cuts and scuffs. Reno had that cocky smirk of his plastered to his face as he began dragging away one of their new captives.

"You two have fun?" Cloud called out.

Rude's smile became more apparent and Reno nodded. "Left us the small fry, yo. Barret mowed down the ones tryin' to board from that other ship."

Tseng and Elena helped hold the line," Rude uttered.

Cloud nodded as he picked up the few survivors he could with help from the others before returning to their ship; the captain increased speed to leave the enemy ships behind. There were a dozen survivors on the ship's deck, most unconscious or too injured to fight back. A few waited patiently like puppets, to Cloud's growing discomfort.

"Are the kids okay?"

"Nanaki and Vincent are guarding them," Tseng called out.

Two things happened at once. The sound of something impacting the boat and violently shaking it, and the sound of a beast roaring all around them. They all looked around, noticing green lines pulling up from a point in the inky depths of the ocean in the middle of the group of boats. Growing and coalescing as the seas churned around. The roar issued forth again as the stern dipped slightly. The Lifestream shimmered into the familiar shape of the Water God of Wutai; Leviathan.

Leviathan answered the summon of Wutai's princess after years of disuse.

The boat bobbed violently as the great serpent made the seas spin around it, the water capturing the enemy boats. Any that still functioned attempted to turn about and escape back out of reach of the summon, accelerating away.

Another roar and the seas lurched violently, and even in the darkness those who witnessed the spectacle could see what was happening. It was a whirlpool, and it was dragging nearby boats to their watery demise.

Their boat was having difficulty keeping away from the growing whirlpool, Leviathan's rage threatening to pull them into the depth with their enemies. Faris growled, then headed to the bow of the ship. It was raised slightly, and she knew that it might be too late for them to get to shore, but now was the time to try.

Faris found a metal chain hooked to the ship and tossed it overboard. She looked into the dark waters and brought her hands out, her heart solemn. "My oldest friend...I need you to help me once again. Please."


	19. Running Out of Time

The waters churned more violently and the ship began to move further into the whirlpool. Leviathan roared and the ocean answered, the current pulling on them. Yuffie tried to cancel the summon but it was too late, the magic would run its course.

Faris stared down into the black waters, then closed her eyes and let that warm, sad feeling in her chest grow outward towards her outstretched hands. "Syldra. Yer friend needs your help.

"Can ye tug a boat for me, once more? I hate to ask more of ye, Syldra. But I know you can save us." Faris felt it, the power inside granted not only by the crystals, but by the sea dragon that was her childhood friend.

The feeling shot past the tips of her fingers and into the waters in a pale yellow glow, and Faris waited. Bartz walked to her side as his Dragoon guise dissipated, watching with his friend in silence. He knew what she was doing, and it might be their only chance to get out of the whirlpool.

The chain Faris had dropped began to shudder, then became taut as it moved out in front of the ship; a pale yellow energy glowed under the water before disappearing. Ever so subtly the ship began to lurch out of the whirlpool's grasp. Faris grinned. "My Syldra can get us out of this mess!"

"Don't jinx it!"

Leviathan roared again and the boat pulled back towards the whirlpool. The ship groaned from the tug of war between the raging current and the sea dragon. Faris cursed. "C'mon, Syldra! I know you can do it!"

"What's going on?" Cloud had come over to check on them. As he came to a stop behind them a large crested head surfaced with a would splash and let out a high pitched chirp. "What the hell is that?"

Bartz looked back as Faris continued to coach the sea dragon. "It's Syldra, Faris' childhood friend. She's trying to tug the boat out of Leviathan's whirlpool, but..."

"...Where did she come from?"

Bartz rubbed the back of his head. "We can summon creatures like you guys, too."

"The crystals..." Cloud's jaw tightened as he looked at the struggling sea beast. He didn't know how this magic of theirs worked but the creature was helping them as best it could. He turned around and charged towards the bridge. Inside Reeve was trying to make sense of some control panel and Rufus was tapping his foot, probably thinking over their options. The captain and the rest of the crew were busily working on the radar and the other panels.

"Are any of the ship's propellers still online?" Cloud asked.

Reeve, Rufus and the captain looked at him. "Only one," the captain said. "We just got it back."

"Turn it on."

Reeve gave him an incredulous look. "That's not nearly enough power to move us out of the whirlpool, Cloud. We're taking on water, too. If the compartments below don't hold, we're going to have to abandon ship."

The boat lurched away from the raging Water God again. "Faris summoned something that's pulling us away, but it needs help."

"It might be our only chance to get to safety at this point," Rufus remarked. "If we don't get away from this whirlpool there will be no reason to use the escape boats."

The captain ordered the crew to get the propeller up and running again. Cloud left and went to the stern. It was noticeably lowered; they were running out of time. He looked down at William, the soldier tending an injured captive. "Hey, um..."

The young soldier glanced up at Cloud, his face betraying his nervousness. "William, sir."

"William. Just call me Cloud." He looked back at the whirlpool, then looked down at William. "There's a chance we're gonna have to abandon ship, if we can't make it to land. I'm gonna need your help moving the injured if it comes to that. Okay?"

William nodded. The boat slowly straightened out with a low groan as the propeller sputtered to life, and very slowly it began to move away from Leviathan. Syldra let out another high pitched chirp. Cloud heard Faris let out a cheer, and he felt like cheering a bit himself.

"Cloud! What the hell is that thing in the front of the ship?!" Barret walked up to him with Tifa, the two children holding their hands. Vincent was rubbing Yuffie's back as she leaned on Nanaki; they were on the middle of the deck.

Cloud looked back a moment to observe Syldra, then back at Barret. "They have summons too," he said quietly.

"Without materia?" Barret pressed.

Tifa nodded. "Bartz used magic to get away from us the night he landed in Edge. I don't know how their summons work here, but it's a good thing they do."

"Yeah. She's trying to pull us away from the whirlpool."

Denzel squinted to see her; there was only a hint of a sea dragon visible to him. "I wanna see!"

"Denzel, no...You don't know if it's safe or not..."

He looked up at Tifa. "I think it's too busy saving us to be dangerous."

Cloud snorted softly. "You guys should stay close to an escape boat. I'm gonna check on Yuffie."

As the four made their way towards one of the boats Cloud walked up to Yuffie. She was still holding the materia while nursing her head. "Oooh..."

He crouched down. "You can't stop it?"

She shook her head and blinked in rapid succession before looking up at Cloud. "He's a little out of control right now. I can't connect to the materia properly."

Cloud put a hand over hers, and he felt the ethereal pulse of the materia. It felt angry. He looked at Vincent. "You wouldn't happen to have an ether or elixir on you, would you?"

Vincent felt around his pockets for a minute until something clinked against the fingers of his bronze claw. He gingerly plucked out a vial with a deep blue liquid swirling within, and handed it to Yuffie.

"Thanks, Vinny," Yuffie mumbled before twisting the top off of the vial and knocking the ether back. "Oh, I hope this doesn't have any side effects. I popped like, two tranquilizers so I wouldn't get sick."

Cloud hummed. "I've never had a problem before."

Yuffie rubbed the red ball in between the palms of her hands as she still leaned on Nanaki. "Good. Okay, I'm gonna give it another shot!"

"Good luck," Nanaki said as he nervously watched the raging sea serpent.

She held the materia in a reverent fashion, one hand holding and another hand cupping it. Yuffie closed her eyes and began to reconnect to the Water God, the beast slowly listening to the call to dissipate back into the ocean. A final roar echoed across the seas before it began to turn into green wisps that poured down onto the choppy waters like an ethereal fountain. They danced on the waves before disappearing one by one.

The boat began to move faster as the whirlpool lost energy. Cloud gave Yuffie a pat on the back as a smile crossed his lips. "Hey, you did it!"

She opened her eyes and winced. "Y'know, there's a reason we usually left the summoning to you, Vincent and Tifa." Yuffie rubbed her face and then stood up with help from Cloud and Vincent. She looked at the stern. "I hope we find land soon, 'cause the ship isn't gonna last much longer."

Vincent looked the same way she was, then looked back at Cloud. "We should be able to escape if we must."

"Yeah." Cloud made a face. "But Fenrir's down there..."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Of course your first thoughts are on your damn bike!"

Cloud narrowed his eyes at her. "Fenrir's one of a kind. I don't want it at the bottom of the sea."

"We should all hope that the boat can get us to land before that could happen," Vincent said. He made out the tip of Syldra's head above the roof of the bridge; looking back at Cloud he raised a brow. "I suppose that is what is what Faris summoned?"

"Yep."

Nanaki moved to see, but he was too low to the ground. "What do we do if we reach land?"

Cloud looked towards the bow and the black horizon that he could barely make out in the distance. He put a hand to his hip. "I'm gonna call up Cid. We're gonna need the Shera to get to Cosmo Canyon." Even if the WRO listened in on their conversation or tried to get to them first, they would have a fighting chance to get to the Huge Materia with Cid's help.

* * *

It was dawn, and the vehicle he had been chauffeured in had broken down halfway to a place called Bone Village. He had spent most of the evening on some dingy old boat that somehow got them to a port town on the southern edge of North Continent. Halfway through the night the cell phone Svete had given him started to vibrate, and since he really had no reason to care about whatever his new servant needed to drivel about, he promptly tossed it into the water.

He told Svete he didn't need the stupid contraption.

ExDeath tapped his foot with his hands on his hips. He may have time on his side, but he decided he would stroll towards their destination and practice his sorcery on the cool wilderness of North Continent. The driver had protested and said the wilds were dangerous, until ExDeath looked back at him and promised a slow death if he didn't shut up.

His powers were growing with every passing hour.

He wondered if Svete had had any luck finding Bartz, but quickly decided that it didn't matter. All that mattered was the Black Materia that lay far to the north, beyond the forests and mountains that greeted his eyes. When it was found in the depths of the Planet and he understood how to use it, the Void would consume all.

ExDeath looked down at the hand of the body he possessed, still shapeshifted into its natural form. It had an unusual feeling to it, as if he and his demons weren't quite alone within it. He had never possessed a body before, so he supposed it was merely some effect of a residual spirit from this world. None of it would matter soon, anyway. His enemies were either dead or running for their lives.

He stopped walking after a while and decided he would prefer to float above the filthy ground. Float he did, the tips of his boots almost touching the road as he barely focused on the magic that now came to him easily. ExDeath appreciated that his powers were coming back so quickly, but now he needed to test them the best way he knew how.

The sun had crested over the horizon when he finally made it to Bone Village. ExDeath strolled in, feet back on the ground. He couldn't help but chuckle at the madness that would soon unfold in this small town, littered with inviting wooden homes and an excavation pit near the center. On the other side of the village lay a thick forest; he had been told that was the next leg of his journey, the Sleeping Forest.

"A forest? That brings back memories," he said to himself with a dark chuckle. He wondered if the forests of this world could hold a tree such as the one he had been, one that amassed demons that only wanted to obliterate everything. Did this world have any demons? Only ExDeath himself, he concluded.

A villager in a deerskin coat and blue jeans waved at him as he approached. "Cloud, is that you? It's been a while. Delivering a package to someone? We heard something was happening in the south..."

A smile crept on ExDeath's face. The villager froze. "Cloud?"

He didn't respond back. ExDeath walked up to the villager, studied him for a moment, and then felt his magic lurch through his hand and into the man as he jabbed him in the gut. The villager spontaneously combusted with a scream, flailing on the ground in a heap. ExDeath laughed as he held up his hand, flames dancing on his fingers.

"I've always appreciated fire," he said before walking away. It was ironic to him considering his origins, and he laughed again. Testing his magic after being stuck inside that crystal for what felt like forever felt good.

Some villagers peeked out of their houses and looked about; a few archaeologists poked their heads out of the center pit to see what had happened. One pulled himself out of the pit and ran towards the burning man as another villager left his house to do the same. They used their coats to put the fire out, but it was too late. The man was barely recognizable.

The archaeologist glared at ExDeath, his eyes seething with rage. "How could you!" He stalked over to the evil warlock, a sneer on the demon's face. "You, of all people-"

He came too close and was blasted into a house. ExDeath laughed and walked towards the Sleeping Forest as the villagers either cowered or went to help the archaeologist. "Fire is too good for you fools." He went up the small hill that led to the entrance to the serene looking forest that hummed with a strange magic.

He would save that for the forest.

ExDeath turned around at the top of the hill, looking down at the village as he floated again. He brought his arm up and focused. Soon the earth began to shake, softly at first but quickly became violent. The many buildings of the small town were not made for earthquakes and soon began to fall apart, their denizens screaming as wood and stone fell upon them.

The pit in the center began to collapse in on itself, and a few archaeologists managed to flee before stones and dirt buried them alive. A few hands could be seen in the piles of dirt and rubble, the victims crushed beneath the heavy earth.

The air began to fill with smoke as fire began to eat at the wood of the homes, joining the chorus of screams and shouts to make for a noxious cacophony that ExDeath chuckled at before turning around.

He put his hands on his hips and looked up at the entrance. "I don't have a harp to appease you," he drawled out. "But I don't really need one when fire will force you to open up to me."

The forest burst into flames with a flick of his wrist. ExDeath watched as it burned through the ancient forest before walking through with a magical shield around his body. It would be a while before he could do feats such as he did today, but he would assuredly have no need to test his power for the time being as it was. As he left a vehicle entered the ruined village, and a man quickly left the driver's seat.

He looked about in horror as the village burned and those with injuries stumbled about with bloodied heads. The WRO chauffeur turned on his phone and dialed his superior. "Sir! We need to send help to Bone Village! It suffered an earthquake and we have an unknown number of casualties."

"Damn. I'll send a squad up there, grunt." Some clicks were heard in the background. "How is the General? Is he alright?"

The young man looked around, sweat beading on his forehead. "When the car broke down he walked off. I told him he should stay by the car, but he threatened to kill me."

"He's gone?"

He sighed. "Yes."

The grunt's superior grunted. "First he didn't pick up Svete's call, now this...Did you at least give him the message?"

"...He told me he didn't care to hear it."

"It seems that you got stuck with a real tough cookie. Alright soldier, they're on their way. Help out as best you can until they show up."

"Yes, sir." He hung up the phone and studied the chaos in front of him. It was the start of a very bad day.

* * *

The sun had crested over the ocean in the east an hour ago. Somehow, Syldra had gotten them to shore on a lonely island in the Mideel region before daybreak. The injured and captured sat on the sand, wondering if their luck had been good or ill. The party took what they could out of the cargo bay; Barret's truck was ruined from sea water but Fenrir was still mostly dry but for the wheels.

Cloud had been so happy to see his bike was alright.

"Cloud's eyes are doing that thing again, Tifa..."

Tifa sighed as she watched Cloud warily. "I know, Denzel."

Cloud was sitting on a small boulder, his hand propping up his chin. His eyes were those soulless green cat eyes that made everyone around him uneasy, but his face went from mild annoyance to horror as his mental conversation with Jenova went on.

He shook his head as he stood up from his seat and turned to look at Tifa, his eyes returning to normal. "Teef, ExDeath is going through the Sleeping Forest," he said quietly.

"Already?"

Cloud nodded, then looked away. Tifa came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Cloud?"

"...He destroyed the village and burned the Sleeping Forest down."

She gasped. "What?!"

He turned around and she noticed the worry in his eyes. "I feel like we're running out of time."

Tifa bit her lip and looked down. How many died this morning as they struggled to reach dry land, how many might die as they waited for Cid to reach them? "We...We'll make it. We've got to." She looked back up at him.

He nodded. "I dunno if we will, but we have to try." After giving Tifa's arm a gentle squeeze he went up to the others as they either talked on the beach or pulled out whatever supplies were still viable. Bartz and Faris were asking Marlene about the flavor of the brown muffins they were eating; she replied it was chocolate, and they iquired as to what chocolate was.

Marlene frowned then looked up at Barret, who looked about as lost as she did. "What kinda place don't have chocolate?"

"I'd like to bring some home with me if we survive this," Bartz said between bites of his breakfast.

"We've got more pressing things to worry about than chocolate," Cloud said as he approached.

Bartz waved at him. "Yeah, but we can't do anything until your friend shows up. So why not talk about chocolate? I wanna know where it comes from."

"Mideel," Reeve responded offhandedly before turning to Cloud. "What's wrong?"

Cloud told them what Jenova had reported to him. The beach was quiet afterwards.

Tseng sighed heavily. "Nunka's family is from there," he said. "If he gets wind of this he's going to try to make his way there to check on them."

Rufus shrugged. "I leave it up to you, director. Chuck and Cissnei have done their part, and we have to do ours now."

Tseng nodded and walked off towards the beached haul of the ship. The group went back to whatever they were doing, helpless to do anything for those in Bone Village. Cloud and Bartz stared up at the sky, hoping Cid could get to them before the WRO found them. Every moment they stayed here was a moment ExDeath came closer to the Black Materia.


	20. Highwind

**A/N: Lots of swearing. Not going to mature rating because of Cid.**

* * *

"Shit, who's calling at this goddamn hour?" Cid rubbed his nose with the back of his hand before taking out his phone to see who it was as he stood in the engine room of the Shera. His brows went up when the screen displayed Cloud's name. Didn't something fall from the sky, and Cloud was involved somehow? Barret said he would call him up and tell him everything, but he never did.

He accepted the call. "Cloud? What the hell is going on?"

A steady, deep voice reached his ears. "A lot of things, and I'll tell you everything. But right now, we need you and the Shera."

"Well shit, tell me a little something!"

There was a small pause. "We're all stuck on an island in Mideel. Both AVALANCHE, and Shinra. The WRO is after us, and they're being led by a crazy scientist."

Cid put a fist to his hip. He knew about the suspicious scientist, but what did Shinra have to do with this? He supposed he would find that out soon enough. "None of you numbskulls called me until now?!"

Cloud chuckled dryly. "We've been on the run and we're taking a breather because our boat, uh...it's beached. We need to get to Cosmo Canyon, Cid. Before the WRO get there."

The old pilot shook his head. "Man, you just have trouble followin' your ass, don't ya?" He looked about the ship. His loyalty in the WRO was with Reeve, not this Svete guy who had recently asked him to transport troops to Cosmo Canyon for some reason. Nanaki never said anything about that being okay, had he? "You gotta distress signal on that boat?"

There was the sound of people talking, then Cloud's voice again as Cid made his way towards the bridge. "Yeah."

"Turn it on in about two and a half hours. I should be in the area around that time."

"Alright. Thanks, Cid. We'll see you soon."

"Yep. Take care of yourselves." Cid hung up and put his phone away. He stood at the wheel of the airship while Shelke stoically watched him from his left side. "Alright crew! It's time to take off!"

"Now, sir?" one of the men below inquired. "The WRO troops won't be here for another half hour."

"Yes, now! There's more important shit going on than transportin' troops to goddamn Cosmo Canyon!" This crew of his was mostly the same people as the ones that assisted him and his friends during Meteorfall, and he knew they would fall in line for him rather than the WRO. "Cloud needs help."

One of the other crew member's eyes widened. "Wasn't he taken into WRO custody because he was infected by that alien?"

Cid rolled his eyes. "Looks like that was a load of chocobo shit if his lily white ass is all the way in Mideel! Now get this turkey flying!"

A chorus of "yes sir!" rang out on the bridge. The old pilot nodded in approval as he crossed his arms and watched his men get down to business.

Shelke looked at them, then up at Cid. "You do not believe Svete either?"

He looked down at her and shook his head. "Nah. Shit's been fishy since that alert went out last night. Reeve's ass disappeared too? I ain't naive like half the fucking kids employed here."

"Hm. Vincent had said he was going to Edge to get more information. I have not heard from him, either." She looked towards the giant observation window with the thought of sending Vincent a text message. The ship was gaining altitude, she noticed. "Did Cloud call you, is that why we are going to Mideel?"

He again looked at his crew as they obediently got the Shera ready to leave. The phone on deck was ringing, and his First Mate picked it up. Cid knew he would tell them to piss off; perhaps in a more polite fashion than he would, but all the same. "Yeah. That numbskull said he ran his ship aground and needed to get to Cosmo Canyon. Don't know why he wants to go there of all places, but he'll have plenty of time to fill me in while we get there."

Cid made out his First Mate politely informing an Air Traffic Controller that Cid had business elsewhere and that the WRO could utilize one of the other ships for transport. "Goddamn, I'd just hang up on them," the crotchety pilot said to himself with an amused snort as he put his hands on the ship's wheel.

The Shera raised further, the tiniest glimmer of gold from a sliver of the Sun's disc appearing far to the east as the ship turned towards the direction of Mideel. They were higher than the peaks of the Midgar Mountains, clouds floating serenely beneath them. There was a gentle lurch as the ship's engine began to increase power, and they were off. Junon was soon behind them and the mountains loomed closer as the sky lightened.

As Cid watched their approach towards the mountains, another phone call rang out. The First Mate again picked up the phone and stiffened after a few seconds. He turned to look his captain in the eye. "Sir, the WRO is demanding we turn back now."

Cid thumbed his nose before putting his hand back on the steering wheel of the Shera. "Like I give a shit!"

"Uh, they're threatening to shoot us down."

Before Cid could respond, Shelke was already walking away. "I will see what I can do."

Cid watched her leave, then turned to his First Mate. "Ask'em for what? It's none of their goddamn business where I go!"

More waiting. "He said they know you're friends with Cloud."

"Tell me something I don't fucking know."

"He said Cloud is dangerous, sir."

Cid scoffed. "No shit the kid's dangerous. He defeated Sephiroth twice."

The voice on the phone rose to such a point that Cid could make out what he was saying. "Cid! Get back to Junon before we blow you outta the sky!"

"Piss off, twerp. The Shera is my ship, and I go where I want with it!" Cid motioned with his head and the First Mate hesitated a second before hanging up on the screaming demands of the soldier on the line. "Turn on the boosters, boys!"

"Yes, sir!"

The ship lurched again and began to accelerate towards the mountains. The crew worked the control panels and gained more speed as they traveled high above the Junon plains. Cid held the wheel tight, ready to move the Shera when the WRO caught up with them. He wondered if Shelke would have enough time to do what he thought she was probably doing, and figured that if they hadn't started attacking yet it was the WRO that was screwed, not them.

"On our three o'clock, sir!"

An interceptor shot by and banked in front of them. Cid shook his head. "You know what to do, boys."

The Shera raised higher and the sound of gears and metal could be heard under the din of the main deck's bustle. A missile shot out and clipped the wing of the military aircraft. The ship flew by, the fate of the pilot unknown; Cid figured if they were smart they would use the ejection system.

The First Mate called out, phone in his hand. "Sir, they're pleading for you to turn back."

Cid cursed, then motioned for the First Mate to take the wheel. He went down to the phone and picked it up. "The hell do you want now? I got shit to do!"

"Mr. Highwind," the wary voice on the other end began steadily, "your friend was infected by an alien that fell from the sky near Edge. He's just leading you into a trap."

The old pilot pressed his hand against the metal of the console. "How about you tell me how he ended up where he is right now?"

There was a pause. "I don't know," the voice confessed.

"How come Edge and half the countryside isn't infected by this alien?" Cid pressed sternly.

"I...don't know."

"I noticed," Cid stated. "I think Svete's full of shit, and you damn kids are too wrapped up tryin' to be heroes or something." He let out a sigh. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, because I sure as hell can't trust the WRO to tell the truth without Reeve in charge."

The line was silent. Then the voice said in a low whisper, "I can't stop them from intercepting, captain."

"It's alright, kid. I got this." Cid hung up the phone and almost left the console, but picked it back up and dialed the SND Room. It rang several times, then the familiar voice of one of his crew members called out. "SND Room."

"Ghav, it's Highwind. How's she doin'?"

"Shelke is almost done. Keep us airborne and we'll take care of the rest, sir."

Cid smirked, then nodded as he held the phone to his ear. "That's what I wanted to hear." He hung up again, then took his place at the wheel again. "Let's get past these mountains!"

The Shera came ever closer to the mountains, and the WRO was not far behind. Cid strafed the ship to the west and watched as several aircraft blew by them. The ship accelerated again, and he turned towards the south.

"Sir, attack is imminent!"

He was pushed into the wheel as the Shera shook from an impact. "Shit!"

Cid looked through the front observation window. There was a large group of thick clouds in the shape of a front to the east. He pulled the wheel towards them, in the hopes that they could lose their pursuers.

"Goddamn it, hurry up Shelke!"

There was another impact, smaller this time. Cid figured when he banked to the east the projectile only grazed the ship. The clouds were in front of them, still over the mountains and towards the Grasslands. The Shera decelerated just a little; one of the boosters must have been damaged, Cid assumed.

The clouds began to envelop the ship, and the observation window was soon cloaked in milky white and pale greys. The Shera raised in altitude once more. THe radar watcher looked back and up at Cid. "They're spreading out, sir."

He nodded. "Good. Shelke must've screwed up the Worldwide Network for them." Cid rubbed his chin as he contemplated his course of action. "Follow this front down south, then south east when we get to the ocean."

He was agitated that the WRO would hurt his airship, but he knew that soon he wouldn't have time to worry about this morning dogfight. He fumbled with a pack of cigarettes, took one out, and lit it after putting the butt in his mouth. All in a day's work, he mused.

* * *

Cloud tapped his long fingers on one of Fenrir's handlebars. He was watching the group of WRO captives that separated themselves from the rest of them after they were patched up. He felt a hand on his and he looked to his side. Tifa was looking up at him. "I hope Cid doesn't have too much trouble getting here."

He nodded and squeezed her hand gently. "Yeah. I have a feeling he'll be alright, though."

She half-smiled. "I thought I was supposed to be the optimist?"

He grinned. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me, finally."

"Hm." Tifa looked at the group of soldiers, and motioned with her head. "Do they know we're being rescued?"

"I don't think so. They walked over there before I told everyone that I got a hold of Cid." He took a step forward. "I guess I'll tell them."

She raised a brow. "Is that a good idea?"

Cloud frowned at her. "I got them into this mess, I may as well be the one to tell them they're gonna be free soon."

"Well...alright. I'm gonna check on Denzel and Marlene while you talk to them."

He nodded, squeezed her hand once more, then walked towards the soldiers. After a few steps he felt a hand grab his shoulder, then Bartz was in front of him and walking backwards. "Goin' without me?"

Cloud snorted. "If you wanna join me, be my guest." He continued his march towards the isolated group, and Bartz turned to walk by his side.

The captured soldiers eyed Bartz and Cloud with wary and dread filled eyes that made the two frown. Cloud wanted to talk to William, who was something of a leader for the captives since he at least had an inkling of what was going on. He too held a fearful countenance as the two came over, but it wasn't for Bartz.

"William."

The young soldier nervously met Cloud's eye. "Y-yes?"

"...When we reach Cosmo Canyon, you and the others are free to go." He looked at one of the soldiers who whispered something to another, and that soldier eyed one of his comrades that had been separated from the group. The four that he had controlled earlier had been isolated from the others, and they looked at Cloud with pure terror.

"Um, so anyway...Just stay close to the rest of us, there's Hippogryphs on this island and it'd be a bad idea to spilt off—"

"He's using them to spy on us," one of the soldiers whispered to another.

Cloud stared at him, then blinked. "What?"

The soldier swallowed heavily and pointed a shaking finger at the group of four. "Y-you're watchin' us through them. You're controlling them."

Cloud shook his head. "I'm not." He let out a heavy sigh. "Just stay here until the Shera arrives. I don't want to have to rescue any of you from a roaming monster."

"What are you up to?" one of the soldiers demanded meekly.

The spiky haired warrior deepened his frown. "I'm tryin' to fix whatever Svete's done, what else would I be up to?" He wasn't given a response. "I could have just left you to drown on those boats, so stop with the paranoia."

Bartz rubbed the back of his head and looked between them all. The soldiers looked like a bunch of horrified teenagers, and despite the stiff upper lip Cloud looked forlorn. He gave him a pat on the bicep, and Cloud looked at him. "Your friend should be here soon, right?" He started walking him away from the soldiers.

"Yeah. Then we can finally get to Cosmo Canyon."

Bartz nodded, then looked back at the soldier for a moment; they were watching them still. He turned back. The memory of he and Cloud's talk at his camp played in his mind again. "I—"

"I know," Cloud interrupted. His voice was quiet and more than a little bitter. "It turns out I'm the _thing_ everyone is gonna be afraid of."

"They shouldn't be," Bartz replied. "I mean it's ironic, but I think I know you pretty well."

Cloud turned his head and gave a sad, questioning glance. "Do you?"

He nodded and put his hands behind his head. "You went out of your way to search for me in that other world. That was only one of a handful of times you saved me. Then, when you were afraid I was some life devouring alien, you went out of your way, again, to talk to me."

The blond warrior sighed. "That doesn't change the fact I'm..." He turned his head away. He didn't want to say it out loud, as if it would confirm what had already been proven through actions.

"Tifa still stands by you," Bartz pointed out. "Your other friends do, too."

"Yeah, but..." Cloud thought about earlier, about Denzel. "What if I do something?"

"You don't think you're in control?"

"I am in control. I guess I'm just worried." Terrified, he thought.

They were almost back at the beached ship. "I guess I would be too. But, it's not like you're alone." Bartz let out a sigh through his nose, and he watched some seagulls fly overhead. "I won't stop being your friend just because your eyes get freaky once in a while."

Cloud looked down and squeezed his fists. "I just want to be a delivery boy again," he whispered.

"So be one after we finish off ExDeath!" Bartz replied flippantly with a flap of his hand. "If you had that Jenova thing in you before, I don't see how it'd stop you later."

The spiky haired warrior conceded the point with a nod. He wasn't wrong. "I guess you're right." Cloud looked up, and Tifa was waving him over with a small smile. _'I'm not alone.'_

"Did it go alright?" she asked as he came to her again.

He shrugged. "As well as it could go."

Before she could respond, a rumble hit their ears. They all looked up to see the Shera descending towards their position, some smoke coming out from the back. Cloud heard Reno whistle low, and Barret shout a "damn!" at the ship.

"Well, it looks like the WRO didn't like his plans, either," Cloud said to himself as he walked towards the shore. At least now, their goal was within their grasp.


	21. Princess' Intuition

"The crystals said they came here."

"But for what purpose?"

Krile shrugged. "I don't know. But, I'm sure Bartz has gotten himself and Faris into trouble," she said wryly.

"So you've said," Lenna remarked as they walked through the cavern.

It had been several days since Krile had come to Castle Tycoon, sensing some dread in regards to Bartz and Faris. The other Warriors of Light took Krile's sixth sense quite seriously, and after leaving the country in the hands of her chancellor again, Lenna was off to where ever the crystals whispered they go. It so happened that they ended up Hiryuu Valley, their destination a cavern on the northern mountains' side.

There was a lavender glow up ahead.

Lenna let out a puff of air. "Did they teleport somewhere?" They came closer to the light. "Oh, where could they have ended up..."

Krile examined the square of dancing purple light. She knew those two had to be somewhere beyond this portal. But where would it lead them? She knew there was no time to hesitate, and she grasped Lenna's hand. She looked back into the Queen of Tycoon's forest green eyes, finding the same worry and uncertainty she held in her heart. She gave a firm nod of her head. "They're waiting."

Lenna tensed her jaw but nodded back. Coming to Krile's side she looked down at the portal, softly glowing and swirling silently beneath them. Her foot went out, and so did Krile's. "To faraway lands!"

"One, two, three..."

Stomp. Stomp.

"We're still here..." Lenna looked about the cavern blandly. What was its problem?

After a moment it felt like they had moved despite not having taken a step anywhere else, like something had tugged on their navels and landed them on solid ground in an instant. The two looked about, and noticed that a pillar of rock was suddenly five feet from them, and the tunnel in the stone leading outside was somewhere else. There were tiny red lights on little squares all about the small cavern.

Is this where Bartz and Faris ended up?

They hesitantly left the portal's surface and walked towards the tunnel quietly. If they were still in Hiryuu Valley, they would figure out what to do next while spending the night in this new cave. It felt different, somehow. The air was drier, dustier. The humidity of the valley was completely absent.

Krile peeked out of the entrance first, and found the sun lazily falling towards the horizon, the sky still blue. There were more metal squares, a beep issuing from them every few seconds. She didn't feel good about them. Something in her gut was telling her they should leave. "Lenna, we...we should get out of here."

Her friend looked about, pink hair lifted by the dusty wind. She noticed that they had come out of a meteorite, and wondered if Bartz or Faris commandeered the thing to this strange place. There was a grey colored settlement nearby, full of rectangular buildings. She pointed at it. "Perhaps there?"

"I don't know. I think...I think this whole place is bad." A chill went up Krile's spine, like a ghost brushing against her back. She grabbed Lenna's wrist and started to take off with her down an incline. Krile was taking them away from both the meteorite and the settlement.

Lenna almost tripped, but kept up with her panicking friend. "What has gotten into you?!"

There was the sound of quick footfalls behind them. Krile knew Lenna would turn to look but she had no intention of doing so. She tugged on Lenna's wrist again, urging her to keep up.

"Halt!"

 _Don't stop!_

Krile didn't look back at whoever was yelling at them. They had to get away from this place and their pursuer. Something loud went off behind them and she felt something whiz by her ear and impact the dirt yards from her position. She thrust out her hand and weaved a teleport spell; they both stumbled on the lifeless plain as they ended up someplace far enough away that they could be considered safe for the time being.

Lenna dusted off her orange tunic and let out a tiny sneeze. "Oh, this place is horrible!"

The feeling Krile had abated for now, but she still tugged upon her friend's wrist. "We really should continue on!"

"Yes, I suppose we should...but where?"

"Um..." Krile looked around them, then pointed in a direction that was at least the opposite way of the rather distant city. "Maybe we should put as much space between us and that place as we can."

Lenna frowned at the endless wastes, but began to walk as her friend did. "It has to open up to something else eventually...Right?"

"Yeah..."

They walked briskly, always looking behind them. There were a few moving dots in the distance, and the meteorite looked so small from where they were. Were those people too busy with the meteorite to follow them? Krile had a feeling they might be, but instead of relief it filled her with dread. Something was going to happen, she knew it.

She wondered when these wastes ended, or if there would be a place they could go to for safety. Krile's intuition told her that there would be a bone thrown their way; she just had to wait for it. Or it would come to them. Perhaps both?

It was as they trudged deeper into the wastes that a thunderous roar came from the distance, and they felt the ground quake beneath them. Snapping their heads back, they saw a tall pillar of dust sprout out from the meteorite's position. Lenna took a few steps towards their former position with a look of shock on her face. "The portal!"

Krile looked at it with dread filled eyes. They were stuck here, unless they could find another way to get back to their world. She let out a sigh and turned around. "We have to find them."

It was another half an hour into their march that their luck was beginning to change. As it was, the two were beginning to tire from their travels; they had been at it since the morning broke on their world. Lenna noticed something moving from the corner of her eye, and she squinted her eyes at whatever it was.

Krile did much the same, and hoped it wasn't a mirage. She blinked. "Chocobo?"

She started to jog and wave at it. The creature took notice of her, and sprinted closer. Lenna was close behind her as the bird warbled a greeting at them. It was a strange looking chocobo, with green feathers and deep blue eyes; both of them noticed it had a rider's seat atop it. Krile let it come to her outstretched hand as she stopped, and slowly it moved its clicking beak towards it.

"Hello, I'm Krile. What are you doing out here?" Krile cocked her head, and Lenna raised a brow as she waited for answers. For whatever reason, Krile was a special girl who could speak to moogles and chocobos. Of course, that was the most common usage of her peculiar abilities. Her three friends had just grown used to it, not that they weren't thankful on multiple occasions for her psychic abilities.

"Oh...Yes! His name is Bartz, you saw him with a spiky haired man that had to ride you...Oh, I'm so sorry about your friend, that's horrible!" Krile's expression went from sad to eager. "Could you please give us a ride to this town? We are trying to get out of here."

She turned to Lenna, and motioned towards the chocobo. "He said he'll take us to a town called Kalm." Krile began to mount the bird, then helped Lenna up behind her. It took off quickly, leaving the pillar of dust far behind it.

Lenna held onto her friend's shoulders. "He saw Bartz?"

"Yes! And Faris, too. They went with a large group of people to an unknown place."

Lenna was glad to hear the both of them were at the very least alive. After riding a while she looked behind them, and noticed a few black dots far in the distance. Some were in the sky, and some were on the ground, but they seem to be spreading out with a few headed their way.

"Do you think he can go a little faster?"

Krile patted the side of the chocobo's neck. It kwehed and began to sprint upon the dusty earth. Lenna looked back, and there were those black things, but she couldn't tell if they were gaining on them or if they hadn't caught sight of them yet. All the better if whatever they were had not, she thought.

Soon the wastes began to flow into green fields, tinted gold by the angled rays of the sun. The chocobo began to slow down as they approached a hill, and at its crest they saw what they figured must be Kalm in the distance. As they drew closer the two women could make out the grey-blue stone wall surrounding the town, keeping it safe from monsters.

Dusk was beginning to set in as the chocobo strided into town, the local guards giving a curious, almost suspicious glance at Lenna and Krile as they entered. The bird continued its journey towards an empty stall, and stopped in front of it to let the two travelers dismount.

"This is his owner's stall," Krile explained. She rubbed the chocobo's beak after it entered the stall, chirping at the attention. "Thank you so much for your assistance, friend."

The green chocobo chirped again, then went to drink water from a trough. The two women turned and looked about the large town, magical lights standing by the cobblestone streets glowing one by one as the sky grew darker. There was a little foot traffic, and more stares as people glanced their way.

They noticed that they were not dressed at all like the locals.

"Hm, I don't think we fit in, Lenna."

She shook her head. "I don't think so, either." Her eyes again looked over their environment. "So, what shall we do?"

Krile took her time looking over the town. Shops, restaurants, a church of some kind that stood roughly in the center of Kalm. The streets were paved with a bluish cobblestone, and the buildings were similar in design to those in Bartz's hometown. She remembered passing an inn near the entrance. She pointed that way.

"Maybe we could ask for information at the inn," she said.

Lenna looked unsure. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at a few gagglers. "Do we have any currency?"

The blonde fiddled with a sack on her side, and looked at the copious pile of small gold coins within. They held a small hole in the middle. "I brought some...but would they take it?"

"It's gold, so I don't see why not..."

"Hello, there!" The two turned to see a man walking towards them, his blond hair slicked back and thick rimmed glasses on his face. He was wearing the earthy tones of the other locals, and held a small sack. "I've never seen you two around these parts. Are you lost?"

Krile was hesitant while Lenna came forward, all royal grace and a naivety that she never seemed to ever shake off. "Yes, sir! We ah, came from far away, looking for our friends."

There was a glimmer in his blue eyes, and a smile grew on his face. "Is that so? Well, things have been rather quiet around these parts...But a few friends of mine said they've seen an odd traveler near the Chocobo Farm."

"Oh, really?" Lenna clasped her hands together. "Where would this Chocobo Farm be?"

Krile looped her hand around Lenna's arm. "I think we'll be able to find it ourselves, thank you."

"Just a minute!" The man held out his hand. "There's maps at my place. You don't wanna get lost out there, especially at night."

"I don't feel quite right about this," the blonde whispered into Lenna's ear. Her intuition wasn't screaming at her to run, but something about the man seemed less innocent than he was letting on. This stranger was more than he was letting himself known to be, she could tell. She glanced at the chocobo, who was barely paying attention to the three. It wasn't worried at all.

Lenna frowned, then took a step back. "I...No, we'll be fine. Thank you for the information."

The young man's smile faltered, and he leaned in. "If you want to find Bartz, you _will_ come with me," he whispered.

The two women looked at him stone faced. The pink haired queen looked at Krile. "Do we have any other options?"

"I'm afraid you don't, considering you'll be wanted by the authorities if they caught sight of you," the young man said in a grim manner. "Come with me. We're allies of his."

They hesitated a few moments, then took a few steps forward before following him back to his home as he turned to walk. He let them in, then looked about before entering and locking the door. The two women looked around the house. It wasn't particularly large, but it had a cozy feel to it. The floors were hardwood and the walls a white plaster. There was a a woman with cinnamon hair looking over a book as she sat on a graphite grey sofa.

"What are these magic lights?" Lenna finally asked.

The woman glanced up at them and did a double take at the three. Her brows scrunched together. "Chuck, who are they?"

"Bartz's friends." He walked in front of them, then motioned towards the woman on the couch. "This is Cissnei. And the lights are called lamps. They run through electricity."

"Oh." Lenna didn't know what that was, but figured she could ask later. She made a short bow, Krile following her lead. "I am Queen Lenna of the Tycoon Kingdom."

"I am Princess of Bal Castle, Krile."

Cissnei raised a fine brow. "Royalty?" She looked back down at the book. "I thought queens and princesses stayed inside castles."

Chuck shook his head with a snort before taking his glasses off. "Princess Yuffie should have changed your opinion on that." He gave a solemn look to the royalty. "Bartz is in the care of my boss. We had to flee the city after saving one of his friends from certain death."

Cissnei pointed at the sofa across from her and the coffee table, and Lenna and Krile slowly walked towards it and sat. It was soft and giving, a godsend after hours of either walking or riding a chocobo. Cissnei closed and lowered the book she had been reading. "We were planning on leaving here at nightfall to go to North Continent."

"Is Bartz there?" Lenna asked hopefully.

Chuck shook his head. He still had a professional air about him, but it faltered for just a moment into worry. "We heard reports of an attack on Bone Village this morning. We've been preparing our leave since this afternoon."

Krile put a hand to her mouth. An attack? "What kind of an attack?"

He shrugged helplessly. "We don't know, but..." Chuck turned his head away. "There were a lot of casualties."

"Your friend should be safe with everyone, if you're worried about him," Cissnei offered as she stood up. "We haven't had any contact with our boss or the Director, but knowing them they're all fine."

Lenna looked at Krile. "But Faris..."

"I'm sure she found Bartz. I don't think she's in any immediate danger."

The queen of Tycoon nodded, then looked at Chuck, then Cissnei. The portal was blown up, and Bartz and possibly Faris were with a group of strangers watching over them. "We would like to help, if we could."

Chuck had a relieved smile creep onto his face. "Thank you, your majesty."

She stood, and Krile followed. "Just Lenna, please. I'm no queen in this land."

There was a stern knock at the door before Cissnei could speak, and all eyes were upon the door as another set of rapping hit it. She silently motioned the two women towards another room as Chuck went to greet whoever it was, glasses back on his face.

"Here." Cissnei led them to a door in the kitchen that opened to a basement, or so Lenna and Krile assumed. "Go down these stairs and take a left. Kick at the wall, it'll open to another stairwell. It'll lead to our escape boat."

She left them before they could ask anything, closing the door that was in front of them. Wasting no more time they went down the stairs and took a left as told, then hesitated at the wall. There were a few boxes on the floor and lights above them. Two odd, white boxes stood in the far corner with folded clothing in a basket on one of them.

"Kick at the wall?" Krile tapped her foot on the grey stone. Nothing happened.

Lenna tried her luck on another portion of wall. "In the castle we just used switches..."

"They must want this hidden well," the blonde commented before another swing of her foot. It struck true, hitting a part of the stone wall that sunk in. A section of wall turned, and there were two narrow entrances to a dimly lit stairwell. It smelled damp.

The two made their way downward and to an underground dock. A small ship rested by a pier, lazily bobbing with the small waves that splashed its way. Up ahead and through a cavern entrance was a starlit sea or river, they couldn't tell.

"I suppose we will have to wait for our new friends to arrive..." Lenna watched the entrance warily.

Krile felt uneasy as she heard footsteps come down towards them. She readied her magic, just in case. She wasn't sure if Chuck and Cissnei were the ones coming down, or more of those strange people that chased them near the meteorite.

She was rewarded with both.

Their new friends were first to show, then a trooper. Then another showed. Krile knew she had to do something, and hit the troopers with a sleep spell. They fell and skidded down the stairs, and the others behind them tripped over them.

"Get them!"

Cissnei and Chuck ran over to the boat, and Lenna and Krile followed suit. The blond went to the boat's sheltered wheel, fiddling with this switch or that button as Cissnei held her weapon out and watched the back of the boat. A bullet grazed her shoulder, and her weapon flew out to hit at the soldier who attacked her. It came back after slashing at the man's chest.

Lenna went to heal the wound, and almost fell over as the boat lurched and accelerated away from the dock. More shots were fired, mostly ricocheting off the hull, and a few whizzing by the women. Cissnei looked at the other two. "Got any spells to get them to stop?"

Krile nodded, and used a stop spell. It only worked on the nearest two soldiers, but it was enough to make the other ones panic.

Cissnei sighed. "Hopefully we can get to Bone Village without any more trouble."

"Is it important to your boss?" Krile asked, curious now that they weren't in immediate danger.

The woman shook her head, and pointed in Chuck's direction. "His family lives there."

Lenna's eyes widened, and she grimly nodded. "We would be happy to help."

Cissnei smiled thinly. "Thank you. We'll need it."

The ship glided out of the cavern and into a wide bay, easily lost within as other ships came and went. As Krile went to watch the front of the boat Lenna looked to the sky, watching a shooting star pass overhead. She made a wish: That they would find Bartz and Faris, safe and sound.


	22. Still More Fighting

_I don't think they trust you._

 _'My friends and family do.'_

 _Are you so sure? They look at you differently now._

 _'Maybe if you weren't here, they wouldn't be giving me looks.'_

 _But you said they trust you?_

 _'...'_

 _We are one and the same, Cloud. Just like Sephiroth was before you._

 _'I am not one and the same with you. I'm not a monster.'_

 _You say that like you don't mean it._

 _'Shut up.'_

"Cloud?"

Cloud peeked his eyes open to find Shelke quietly watching him as he napped in his seat. He straightened his spine and cleared his throat. "Oh, hey Shelke."

"You looked upset," she said in her usual monotone.

He tightened his jaw and looked away. "Just a bad dream."

"Was it her?"

Cloud cringed at the mention of Jenova, and painfully looked back at Shelke. "I'll be fine, really."

He was surprised when she put her hand on his. "I remember when you taught me that no matter what was done to us in the past, we should still strive to be human. That our actions are what make us human."

Cloud looked into his lap, then at her hand as it rested on the top of his own. It was still so much smaller than it should be for a woman of her age. He wondered if she could age or if she would forever look like she was nine years old. Shelke looked like this because of the machinations of monsters in purely human bodies, he thought.

Humans like himself weren't considered monsters, they only had disturbing eyes to give away that there was more to them than what met the eye. Super strength, reflexes and speed, all from a combination of Jenova cells and mako. There was a fine line, however. A person with a body too weak to take the treatments could become a literal monster. Now, Cloud pondered about his own body and the cells that made it up.

Were they a mesh of his DNA and Jenova's? Had the Jenova cells assimilated his own, and he was only Cloud through will alone? Or were they just clumps stuck haphazardly in his body? No matter how much he thought about the subject he couldn't or wouldn't make a conclusion, and he had never been given a proper answer from the scientists at the WRO. He wasn't about to ask Jenova itself for the answer; it could very well be a lie he would receive.

He looked into Shelke's eyes as he pushed the thoughts away. "Actions make us who we are," he mumbled.

She nodded. "Cid said we will be landing in Cosmo Canyon soon."

Cloud gave a pat to Shelke's hand, then stood up and stretched. "Finally."

As he walked towards the bridge he couldn't help but lightly smile at the memory of Cid greeting him in his usual, gruff fashion. Telling him he looked like shit and that he should take a load off, assuring him he wasn't too worried about his Jenova problem. He beat it off once, he could do it again, Cid had said. Cloud wasn't sure if it was his friend's true feelings or merely bravado, but it had made him feel a little better.

Cid seemed more agitated about the air traffic noise and the news garnered from it.

He entered the bridge, and noticed Tifa looking out at the ruddy landscape below. The sun was beginning to set in the west. Cloud came to her side, and she held his hand. It felt nice, reassuring. Tifa looked up at him and gave him a smile. "I guess we're about to see what can be done."

He nodded. "Yeah."

They watched with a mix of hope and anxiety as Cid maneuvered the Shera towards a bluff used for ships, right outside the village proper. Cloud looked back as the pilot grumbled. "Get those shitheads on the phone!"

A few moments later and Cid was by the bridge's phone, arguing with someone. "Yeah? I'm landin' there anyway. Tryin' fuckin' arrest us, y'numbskull!" He slammed the phone down and commanded everyone to get ready to land. He put his hands on his hips and leveled his gaze at Cloud. "Not that you wouldn't be surprised, but get ready, 'cause the WRO beat us to the punchline."

"I'm surprised they didn't shoot us out of the sky," Tifa remarked.

Cid shrugged. "Nah, this guy is older, he's not tryin' to be a hero. Name's Commander Mets."

She raised a brow. "You know him?"

"Yeah, upstanding guy and plays by the rules. He's probably gonna try and force his soldiers inside to arrest us."

"Maybe we can reason with him," Cloud remarked quietly. "Especially if we can take WRO hostages."

"Shucks, when did you become a terrorist?"

The spiky haired warrior cracked a small grin, but said nothing else on the matter. He turned to Tifa. "Let's see if Reno and Rude can whip us up a show again."

* * *

"They are refusing to comply, sir."

" _Then blow it up._ "

"Sir, it's far too close to Cosmo Canyon to attempt such a thing." Not that he had any desire to do so.

There was a drawn out sigh on the receiving end of the phone, then a few moments of silence. " _Can your people keep them busy for a little while?_ "

Commander Mets slowly nodded, despite Svete being unable to see it. "We can."

" _Good. I ordered reinforcements to travel there immediately after requesting your assistance in protecting Cosmo Canyon and the Huge Materia._ " There was a sniffle. " _They should be there shortly to rectify any problems you might have with the alien._ "

"Thank you, sir." Mets still held out hope that there would be a nonviolent solution to the current scenario, or at least a more positive outcome than the sea skirmish last night. "We will hold the line!"

" _Excellent. I thank you for your service, commander._ " _Click_.

The Shera slowly descended down towards the airfield. Cid refused to land on the side furthest from Cosmo Canyon, a place that would have been safer for his soldiers and the residents of the town in Commander Mets' eyes. He knew Svete wanted the Shera and everyone in it either arrested or liquidated, and he would rather negotiate than kill. Apparently there was an alien on board, and everyone was worried about what it could do.

He was old enough to consider more benevolent reasons for its visit, despite his extreme wariness from news that came from out at sea. News of soldiers possessed and taken to their escape boat, along with other captives. Still, from what he knew East Continent wasn't a wasteland of mutated monsters and nothing like that happened during the ship battle.

Mets would proceed with caution. No one had tried that yet.

The commander stood surrounded by his troops, a megaphone in his hand. He wore the usual light grey combat suit of his rank, reinforced with armor on the chest and limbs. His helmet was an old model used by the red suit commanders of the old Shinra army.

The Shera landed, and after a few minutes the ship's cargo bay opened up. Mets put the megaphone up to his mouth. "Everyone, come out slowly with your hands on your head. We don't want a bloodbath."

Nothing moved from within.

He wondered if they were attempting to get them to draw closer for an ambush. It was predictable enough. He spoke again. "Highwind, you, your crew, and your passengers are under arrest for harboring possibly hostile alien life. Come out peacefully, now, and we won't open fire on your ship."

The commander sighed harshly after waiting another minute. He could feel the burning tension of his troops, the fear. Something was waiting for them all inside that ship. "Troops, ready your weapons and aim for the thrusters."

Quickly they did so, all twenty of them pointing towards the ship's way of escape if they decided to chicken out. "Count of three, Cid."

"One."

"Two."

He waited, and nothing but the howl of a hot canyon wind responded to his silence. Mets squeezed his fist around the megaphone's handle and drew in a deep breath. "Thr—"

A hoverboard shot down the ramp at full speed, and the soldiers immediately aimed towards it and began shooting. A few bullets hit the speeding board, and the troops found out immediately afterwards that that had been a mistake.

A flash bang and a wall of dust exploded out at them, then a roar from behind it. The troops were either now aiming in the direction of the noise and beginning to fire or reloading. A large motorcycle slammed through a group of soldiers, throwing them into their comrades or scattered onto the hot surface of the rusty colored bluff.

The bike's rider landed behind Colonel Mets, but he had his side gun pointed at the spiky haired man almost immediately. Mets' face was just as stony as his opponent's. "You're under arrest, Cloud Strife. Put down your weapons immediately!"

"I don't think you're in a position to demand anything," was the curt reply.

"Then we fight to the last man. You aren't getting past us."

Cloud scoffed as he held a blade in a defensive position over his chest. "If they couldn't stop us in the water or in the air, what makes you think you have a chance here?" The commander stayed silent. "We don't wanna have to hurt any more of you."

There were the sounds of battle around them, but Mets refused to let his eyes wander. The instant they strayed was the instant this man would slice him to bits. "My men can handle yours."

Cloud's eye twitched ever so slightly. "They can barely handle being soldiers."

Commander Mets was about to retort when he was slammed into from a blind spot. He glided over the stony ground until two powerful legs thrusted him into it, and he skidded and tumbled into a heap. A hand tossed him back onto his back a moment later, then his gun was kicked from his hand.

"I hope you aren't as stubborn as the last ones," came a woman's voice.

Commander Mets squeezed his fists as he took in a sharp breath of dry air. He groaned out, "you're here for the Huge Materia..."

The woman came into view. She nodded. "Svete is working for someone else, and we're going to try and stop him."

There was a loud rumble from below, where the village proper was; it sounded like an airship. The woman looked towards the sound. Mets groaned as he moved onto his side and panted. "You won't get the Huge Materia..." More sounds issued from that way, loud slaps and thuds, above the din of thinning rifle fire and the sounds of his troops being decimated by...themselves, Mets observed. Cloud was watching the fight with his back to him and his swords still out and at the ready.

When he turned around towards the direction of the sound, his eyes looked like they had shifted at that very moment. "Tifa, what was that?"

Tifa watched with growing dread. "The WRO reinforcements, they're being air dropped..." She turned her head and gave a harsh glare to Mets. "You're that desperate, you'd use monsters?!"

The commander slowly blinked at her. "What?"

"We don't have time for this." Cloud briskly walked towards the edge of the cliff that overlooked Cosmo Canyon and combined his swords. He watched as the airship banked away quickly and towards the old airfield Shinra used upkeep until it was given to the WRO. "Wrap up the fight up here, I'm gonna start on these things."

He jumped from the edge and hopped off of a small rock outcropping half way down, projecting him towards a Behemoth like a missile. Cloud focused on the Fusion Sword, and a blue aura puffed into existence over the blade's edge as he began a somersault that had the sword slicing through the monster's horn and face. It roared as the Braver sent it tumbling backwards and on its side, bleeding and kicking at the air.

Cloud fell from air after being pushed upward from the momentum of the attack, then landed in a pack of...imps. Some sort of strange, black skinned monsters that looked like goblins with wings. He swiped at them in a wide and low arc, and they dissolved into wisps of heavy black smoke. The warrior smirked; this wouldn't be hard at all, he thought as he stood near the Cosmo Candle.

He regretted the thought a moment later as the smoke congealed into something larger than just imps in front of him. It looked a little bit like a grey skinned, emaciated Ifrit with bat wings in his opinion, the eyes a smoldering orange as black smoke oozed out of its open mouth. It towered over the spiky headed warrior. Cloud took a quick glance at the Behemoth he had to yet to finish off; it was beginning to recover. There were screams from villagers all around, and various monsters chasing them. "Shit."

"You are the one defying ExDeath?" The demon took a few haughty steps towards the blond warrior and chuckled evilly. "You have no chance against me, Enenra!"

Cloud held his sword at the ready. "Smoking is a bad habit, you should probably give it up permanently."

"I will plunge this sacred place into darkness!"

Cloud went to attack the demon, cutting it in half. It reformed again as he twirled to face it, and he felt a very solid arm slam into him, tossing him to the ground. The Fusion Sword skidded to a stop a foot from his hand. He snatched it up and used it to guard against Enenra's fist as it came crashing down on him, dark wisps puffing upward from the force.

He could feel Enenra pushing on the sword, attempting to crush him like a bug. "This world will be brought to heel, just like you. The crystals will not shine." It pressed further as Cloud attempted to get some traction for his feet. He gritted his teeth and began to push back.

"The wind will still, the seas will stagnate, the fires will dim, and the earth will rot!" Enenra taunted, pressing harder with every promise.

"Do you ever shut up?!" Cloud roared as he gave one powerful shove back. He quickly rolled out of the way and attempted to use the Time materia he had on him, but the stop spell didn't work. He quickly tried slow; a milky aura coated Enenra momentarily. It slowed the demon a little as the smoke it was made from stagnated. "I'll be back for you."

Cloud turned back to the Behemoth and charged it as it faced him, the monster finished gorging on a fleeing civilian as they came too close. He dodged its single horn and carved into its snout, then ran up its arm and shoulder and plunged the Fusion Sword deep into the top of its rib cage. It cut through the hide, the flesh and the bone and right into its heart; the Behemoth collapsed and Cloud leaped from it, face and hoodie coated in its blood.

The slow spell had given him just enough time.

Enenra began to churn quickly in place as the spell released its hold from it. Its smoke twirled and rushed towards Cloud like a flying lance, and it slashed across his shoulder before he could land. Cloud stumbled to ground and moved out of the way as Enenra tried for his chest next, reforming into an ashy skinned demon.

Cloud felt the tickle of a cure spell rush through him, then squeezed his eyes shut as someone released a flare barrage at the demon. It screeched as the light passed through it, but Enenra recovered quickly from the attack. It began to fight Bartz and Tifa, swiping at them with deadly claws. Bartz's bow shot through the torso, leaving a trail of shadow into the dusk.

"You cannot stop me!"

 _Look familiar, Cloud?_

He stilled and stared at the tangles of shadow. "Throwing me a bone, huh?" Cloud slammed the broad side of his sword into Enenra as it focused on the other two, sending it to the ground. It dissolved into a pool of black mist, and Cloud slowed it. He turned to Bartz. "You gotta water spell?"

Bartz shook his head. "Fresh out."

Cloud growled in frustration as he looked about frantically. "Tifa," he called out as he looked at her, "does anyone have an Enemy Skill materia?"

"Nanaki does."

"Go get him, Aqualung is our best bet against this damned thing." Cloud readied his sword again as Tifa ran off into the skirmishes surrounding them. He glanced at Bartz before returning his gaze to Enenra as the slow spell faded away. "It's made of smoke. We can't hurt it with physical attacks."

"I hate monsters like that." Bartz materialized a shield. "So, we're gonna wash it away?"

Cloud nodded. "I hope to. Sephiroth created beings out of stagnant Lifestream once, and water, especially Lifestream laced water, dissolved them. Aqualung isn't anything holy, but if we can dissolve it into water maybe we can...do something."

"Holy..." Bartz looked down and held his free hand to his chest. "Why not use that spell?"

Enenra was reforming. Cloud tensed and moved away from Bartz, hoping it would attack him and not his friend. "We don't have that at our disposal."

The demon roared at Cloud. "You stubborn fool!"

"It knows me pretty well already!" He taunted it away from Bartz and closer to the Behemoth corpse. Despite knowing very well his sword would do nothing he cut through Enenra; it divided into two this time. Two demons, smaller copies of its larger self. One slammed into Cloud as he blocked it with his sword, then recombined with the second one and pierced into Cloud's gut with an elongated claw. He was lifted up from the ground.

Its fang filled mouth was next to Cloud's ear as he struggled and stifled a scream. "Your time is at its end." Enenra flung the warrior off of his curved claw, dumping him next to the Cosmo Candle. Its claw reverted in a puff of smoke back into a grey digit. A smile crossed its face as smoke oozed down towards Cloud, pooling over his blood on the earth.

"I'll see you in Hell, warrior of—"

A pale, bluish-white circle of light appeared around the demon, and it looked down in confusion. Then a burst of white light blasted upwards, destroying large chunks of Enrenra's body. It melted away and reformed in a smoldering fire's smoke nearby, then quickly attacked Bartz as the warrior of light held up his shield.

Nanaki was there a moment later, and he brought with him countless bubbles of water that burst on contact with the smoke demon. It dissolved into a black, tarry ooze, and attempted to escape towards the fires lit by some monster released in the chaos. The Guardian lashed his tail. "Oh no you don't!"

It was slow, but it could go slower, Cloud thought as he caught his breath. Everything hurt, but he had gone through worse. He would recover. His hand stretched out and he released one last slow spell on the demon, then quickly toppled over into a puddle of his own blood.

Bartz released another holy spell, engulfing the entire pool of black ooze. This one dissolved Enenra to the last wisp, a screech fading into the wind as the holy spell faded into the night. He paused to stare at the space the demon had taken, then looked over at Cloud. He wasn't moving.

He rushed over to the fallen warrior, Nanaki and Tifa by his side. "Cloud!"

Tifa very gently moved his head, and checked his pulse. It was weak but he wasn't at death's doorstep. She put her hand on his forehead as his head rested in her lap, and she focused on Restore materia in her bracer. She took a deep breath and an instant later a powerful cure spell ran through Cloud, knitting together his injuries and allowing his body to focus on other things.

He hand came up to her wrist and gently squeezed. "Thank you."

She smiled at him, his face smeared with blood and soot. His eyes were like pure sapphires in the mess of colors. "We're almost done fighting."

"Mm." He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked about. Cosmo Canyon was in absolute disarray. Villagers tended to the injured or tried to put out fires, Tseng was seeing to someone as he stood next to a monster he must have slain a few minutes ago, Cid was having a smoke while Barret pointed towards the observatory. They were next to another Behemoth corpse.

When the hell did the WRO acquire Behemoths? Was Svete preparing for this all along? He had to have some inkling if he had a demon on board the ship. But what of the crew...?

Cloud sighed heavily, then stood up with Tifa holding his side. "We have no time to lose. It's time to see the Huge Materia."


	23. Transmutation

**A/N: Big thanks to Irish-Brigid for sorting out the characters. I really needed another person there to have a good second opinion on the matter! Happy Holidays to all my readers!**

* * *

Commander Mets looked over his captured troops, his hands bound behind his back and an airship crewman next to him. A quarter of them were having a nervous breakdown of some sort after turning their weapons on their allies, and the thought sent a chill down his spine. Anyone who had Geostigma could be taken over by one of the people on that ship, it's the only conclusion he could come up with with what he knew. Mets assumed it was Cloud, after he saw the slightest of changes in his eyes as he turned to face him earlier.

He did let them live, however.

President Reeve Tuesti was walking towards him, his suit slightly wrinkled and accompanied by Yuffie Kisaragi and a young looking turncoat soldier. He studied the commander quietly, without a smidgen of smugness or triumph. "Commander Mets."

"President Tuesti."

Reeve pursed his lips as his dark eyes looked from Mets, to the soldiers, then back to him again. "You and your troops will be freed when we finish our business here. I'd appreciate your continued protection of Cosmo Canyon."

Mets raised a brow in disbelief. "Is this a joke?"

Reeve shook his head. "No. You saw what was dropped onto the village by Svete?"

The commander tightened his jaw. He had taken a glance below him before that woman tied him up. Cloud Strife had been fighting a monster, and there were busted cages scattered in the center of Cosmo Canyon. That was the backup Svete had spoken about; the thanks he had been given was now a bitter thought. Then he remembered his troops, and he narrowed his eyes. "How do I know I can trust you, after what happened to my men?"

"It's a complicated situation, but it's under control."

Yuffie lazily popped her neck. "Are ya gonna help keep these people safe or what?"

Mets eyed her. "That was what we were here for in the first place."

"Good! Then we can trust you to keep doing that!" She walked behind him and released his bindings. Mets flexed his wrists and fists. "Don't try and thank us by stabbing us in the back."

The commander ignored her and returned his attention to Reeve. "What are you doing to the Huge Materia?"

Reeve shrugged. "We're seeing what they can do for us." He gave the commander a quick rundown of the situation with Svete and ExDeath. "As you can see with the monsters we are currently cleaning up, Svete is desperately trying to stop us."

Mets looked away and to the side. "I see." The WRO had been compromised from the inside, and he had been used in a scheme, if Reeve was to be believed. He looked back. "You're sure Strife isn't a liability?" he asked quietly.

The WRO president regarded him and the question for a few moments. "At this moment, no. He has my trust," he said carefully.

"Hmph." The commander shrugged. "I'll watch over Cosmo Canyon, but if he does anything to my men again—"

Reeve waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need for that. Thank you." He turned to the young soldier. "You and your comrades are free to go, William."

William nodded with hesitance. "Thank you, sir, but I think I'll stay here with Commander Mets."

"If that is what you wish." He looked back at Mets. "If you'll excuse me, I have to rendezvous with everyone."

Reeve and Yuffie left the two, the both of them aiming to quickly meet up with everyone. It only took them a few minutes to reach the door that would take them towards the Huge Materia. He counted sixteen, including himself and the two children that he had just noticed sneaking in behind the group as the door to the chamber closed.

The room had a small artificial light array above the door, and the four materia floated a foot off of the red rock ground through some property unknown to any in the room. Their glow painted the walls with the colors they let off: green, blue, red and yellow. Here, the hum of their energy could be felt by all in attendence.

"Cool," Denzel whispered.

Tifa turned her head back. "Denzel, Marlene! You're supposed to be in the airship!"

Nanaki slowly moved his tail side to side. "I think they would be safer in here with us."

"Yeah, unless the materia all go kaboom or somethin'," Yuffie remarked.

Marlene crossed her arms. "We're in danger until that ExDeath guy is stopped, so what does it matter?" She walked closer to the materia. "They're so pretty..."

Cloud was frowning their way, but turned back to observe the still inert materia. He walked up to the green one and put his hand on it. It tickled and buzzed with an energy that had no outlet. "How can you help us..."

He tried to hear anything from Jenova, but the alien was silent. Cloud could feel it watching, however. Finding nothing of use from it he turned to look at Bartz and Faris, who were observing the materia with curious faces. "Are these anything like the crystals from your world?"

"Aye," Faris began, "but not quite. They're missin' somethin'."

Bartz nodded, then walked up to the same green materia Cloud was touching. He put a hand up to it as well. "It's missing what the crystals symbolize. Yeah."

Faris raised a brow and put her hands on her hips. "What'd ye mean, Bartz?"

He looked back at her. "You know...Remember when the Wind Crystal shattered? We were given the light of the crystals, and each one chose one of us." Bartz wasn't sure what to call it at first. "There's a quality to the crystals. Its essence."

"Ah, I remember. So, how do we get some into these things?"

Bartz shrugged. "I dunno."

Cloud asked, "what is this essence you're talking about?"

"Well, the Wind Crystal is pursuit, Fire is courage, Water is devotion, and Earth is hope." Bartz studied the crystal some more. "Maybe that's what they need."

"I dunno how we're going to do that." Cloud still touched the smooth surface of the crystallized mako, wondering how they could proceed. "Why not stick one of your crystals on it?"

"Well, yeah. That might work." Bartz stuck a hand in his pouch, and his fingers glanced over several shards. One buzzed with energy, and he grabbed it. Taking it out, he could feel a resonance with the Huge Materia that Cloud was still touching, and a feeling in his heart that felt so familiar...

The edges of his vision darkened as he brought the crystal shard up to touch the materia's surface. Slowly, it melted into it, and he felt what could only be described as a tether of light connecting him to the materia by his chest.

 _Warrior of Light..._

"W-what?"

 _You will birth crystals to save this world. The seed of your essence and the crystal shards will resurrect the dying planet._

The Huge Materia rotated slowly as a whirlwind engulfed it, and Cloud removed his hand. Four people in the room were struck by white balls of light, glowing on their hearts for a few moments.

 _The essence of pursuit flows through your spirits! Let it grow, Warriors of Light, and so too will the new Wind Crystal._

It was a whisper only Cloud, Cid, Nanaki and Reno heard. The red headed Turk rubbed the at his chest as the glow faded. "What the hell was that, yo?"

"Huh? What the hell happened to the Huge Materia?" Cid asked.

It was different, the green far more pale and the ethereal glow had brightened. Cloud could constantly feel a breeze near it. "Uh...It...it turned into a...?"

"It's a new Wind Crystal!" Bartz said excitedly. "You guys must be the new Warriors under its essence!"

Reno snorted. "You mean to tell me that piece of work over there and me are sharin' the same crystal?" He motioned towards Cloud dismissively.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "The last person that could be considered anything light is you."

Without missing a beat Reno said with a smirk, "like you're one to talk."

"Don't even—"

Nanaki raised his head. "Enough." He slowly walked up to the newly born crystal, his eye soaking in the sight. "It hums with the light of the Planet," he said quietly. "Where once the air was stale, it will breathe again."

"That's what the Wind Crystal does." Faris walked up to the red Huge Materia. "I bet this one'll react. Aye, I can feel it!" As she placed a crystal shard onto the red surface the exact same thing that occurred to the green materia happened to the red. Heat radiated from it like it was a giant forge. The orbs of light entered Rufus, Denzel, Elena and Rude.

 _The essence of courage flows through your spirits! Let it grow, Warriors of Light, and so too will the new Fire Crystal._

Denzel patted at his chest with a shocked expression that was only matched by Cloud and Tifa. "I'm gonna be a Warrior of Light?" He looked up with a toothy, giddy grin. "Awesome!"

"I wanna be a Warrior of Light!" Marlene pouted as she stood next to her adoptive brother.

Cloud ran a hand through his spikes. "Why didn't you two stay on the airship," he moaned. Tifa pursed her lips and crossed her arms; there was nothing they could do.

Rufus looked over at Rude and then Elena. "Courage...I would think that would be a quality all Turks possess."

Bartz hummed. "It doesn't mean everyone else isn't courageous. It just means that it's greater a quality you have compared to the others."

"I can see that for Rude, yo. Always ready and willing." Reno gave his partner a thumbs up, and Rude gave him a silent nod. The red head turned to Elena. "And you, you never shy away from a mission."

"Thank you, sir," Elena replied with a slight blush.

"Well, that leaves two more crystals," Faris said as she walked over to the blue Huge Materia. She thought about her sister Lenna as her green eyes stared at the beautiful blue shard of solidified spirit energy. "But, can we do it? It's just us two."

Tifa went to the yellow materia that floated ten feet away from Cloud, and rubbed it with her hand. "There has to be some way. There's always a way..."

 _Warrior of Light..._

Tifa jumped, then looked at Bartz as he held an equally wide eyed expression on his face. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah...barely, but I heard it." Bartz blinked slowly, then gasped in recognition of what must have happened. "Tifa, you're full of hope!"

"No one has more hope in their heart than Tifa," Cloud confirmed. "Maybe she can jump start the Earth Crystal?"

Bartz shrugged and pulled out another crystal shard. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

He pressed the crystal against the yellow Huge Materia, but nothing happened yet. His eyes watched as Marlene came charging over, pressing her small hands onto the amber surface. "It can have some of my hope!"

Barret stomped over and put a hand on Marlene's shoulder. "C'mon, baby girl. It ain't safe bein' so close."

"Tifa's near it."

Bartz could feel it beginning, but it just wasn't enough. If Krile was here there wouldn't be any trouble. Still, he held the shard to it out of a fleeting hope to finish the task at hand.

* * *

Abductors flew through the air, a clear indicator that ExDeath roamed the land. They had flown over the ship as it passed through choppy seas hours after leaving Kalm, the night sky darkened further by clouds. Lenna, Krile and Cissnei held them back as the monsters tried grasping for the royalty.

A bolt of lightening here, a fire spell there, but still more came to replace their fallen comrades. Cissnei's shuriken sliced through a small group of Abductors, only to reveal a small army of them charging their way as they navigated their way through the waters. The winds of a storm whipped at them occasionally, howling like the demons of the Interdimensional Rift.

Lenna knew they were after them, and not Cissnei and Chuck. She glanced back at the blond haired Turk, his face a mess of focus and determination. Chuck was positively terrified for his family in the place known as Bone Village. Her eyes went back to the horde in front of them. If ExDeath or whoever was in charge wanted them dead, Abductors wouldn't have been sent in.

She let out a huff and squeezed her fists. She had to be as courageous as her sister. "Krile, let them take us."

Cissnei shook her head. You can't let them do that!"

Krile looked at Lenna after shooting down several monsters. "Are you sure?"

The queen of the Tycoon Kingdom nodded. She knew it was risky, but how else could the two Turks make it to North Continent safely? There were just too many monsters. "Chuck's family needs him. We'll be alright, I bet."

Krile searched deep inside herself, then nodded. "Yes, I think you're right." With Bartz and Faris roaming this world, it was only a matter of time before they reunited, she knew it. Lenna was naive, but Krile knew this was what had to be done.

The two royalty felt something in their chests, reminiscent of the crystals essence when they were chosen. Galuf's wisdom rose up within Krile, and then all at once it became a warm afterglow to the duo. They fought off several more Abductors, then when they had a few precious moments they went to Cissnei and hugged her one at a time, surprising the Turk.

"Keep safe," Lenna whispered into her ear.

"Lenna—"

As Krile hugged the Turk she murmured, "we'll be fine. They'll find us."

Lenna held out her arm, and an instant later an Abductor swooped down to grasp it. It cackled in triumph as it took off with her in tow.

"Lenna!" Cissnei called out.

The youthful queen looked back and shook her head. "I-I'll be fine! Go to Bone Village!"

Krile was next, the demon grasping her under her arms. "We'll meet again, I know it!"

Cissnei wanted to strike the monsters in frustration, but it would only end up in the two women from another world swimming for their lives in questionable seas. She could barely see the monsters as they flew away, leaving the ship alone. The cinnamon haired Turk chewed her lower lip, concerned for the two she had only met a short while ago. If they reached North Continent, she hoped that she and Chuck could get back into contact with Tseng.

* * *

The two materia lit up unexpectedly, catching everyone off guard. The yellow one resonated with Bartz's crystal as he held it to the materia, and all of a sudden Tifa, Marlene, Barret and Shelke were given those same white orbs of light seen minutes ago on the others. The rumble of churning stones whispered near the new crystal.

 _The essence of hope flows through your spirits! Let it grow, Warriors of Light, and so too will the new Earth Crystal._

"Hey, Marlene! We both get to be Warriors of Light! How cool is that?" Denzel had his hands on his hips in a triumphant pose.

The little girl grinned. "Yeah!"

"Hope?" Barret grumbled. "Last thing I'd consider I got a lot of."

Tifa put a hand on his forearm. "You've always been hopeful, Barret. Hopeful for Corel, Dyne, Marlene," she whispered. "I think it suits you."

"You do?" He thought about it for a moment. "Yeh, I guess you're right."

Shelke looked down at her feet, then at Vincent. "I feel a little different."

He tilted his head to the side, barely. "In what way?"

"Similar to how I felt before Omega was defeated. Hopeful."

Vincent quietly chuckled. "Then that crystal suits you."

Faris had taken out a crystal that had begun resonating with the blue materia. She stared at it, knowing that the only reason the last two began to transform was because Krile and Lenna had found their way here. It had to be, she thought. Faris pressed the crystal to the very slightly elastic surface of the materia, and did a silent prayer to ask that her sister would be alright.

It came to life as the crystal and materia fused, the roar of waves rushing about the newly created crystal. It let out four final orbs of light, granted to Vincent, Tseng, Reeve and Yuffie.

 _The essence of kindness flows through your spirits! Let it grow, Warriors of Light, and so too will the new Water Crystal._

"Kindness?" Tseng scoffed. He was a Turk, the furthest thing from kind. The choices seemed counterintuitive to him. When was he kind?

 _I think you know when._

Suddenly, he was reminded of when he had been, and his face grew pensive. Always in vain, but always from the heart despite the risks. "Maybe it's more suitable than I first thought," he mumbled to himself.

"Of course Yuffie got kindness," Nanaki said as he sat on the smooth stone floor. "We searched the Planet for a cure for Geostigma, and whenever she went back to Wutai she tended to the sick."

Cloud grinned. "You've come a long way from the thief that stole all of our materia."

"Hey! That materia is mine, as per our agreement!"

Vincent reached out a hand and gave Yuffie's shoulder the gentlest of squeezes. She looked back. "It suits you," he said softly.

The ninja blinked a few times, then turned away. "Guess so. What about you?"

Reeve chuckled. "Vincent's a big softie, you know that."

"As Yuffie is fond of saying, it takes one to know one," Vincent said with a faint smile behind his mantle.

"So, what happens now?" Cloud had a hand on his hip as he scratched the side of his head. "You said you were a Warrior of Light on your world, Bartz. That means you protect the crystals..."

Bartz nodded. "You were all chosen to protect these new crystals. Maybe they'll grant you some powers or something, like ours did."

"Protect?" Rufus flipped his hair. "From villains to heroes..."

"Pfft, don't get yer ego all inflated, matey." Faris strolled over to the group. "I'm still a pirate captain, ye know. But protectin' the crystals is for the greater good. I'm no hero, though."

Reno chuckled. "That's good to hear, yo. Bein' a hero would crimp my style."

"Aye, too much work."

"Listen. The crystals will keep the Planet alive. It might even give us a buffer until we reach ExDeath," Bartz began. "Existence can't wither away with the crystals around."

"Mm." Cloud crossed his arms and looked towards the door leading out. The crystal would grow with their essences, and maybe help them defeat ExDeath. "Our next stop is gonna be North Continent. Tonight, we're gonna prepare."

Slowly they all made their way out of the room, and Cloud turned back to look at the newly formed crystals. He wondered if the Wind Crystal could save him from the voice in his head, but he only heard a faint laugh in return for his thoughts.


	24. Rotting From The Inside Out

**A/N: Ayyyyy we might be getting into Mature rating territory with some body horror in later chapters. What do you all think?**

* * *

Svete scratched at the back of his head again as he sat at his desk. At long last, it was finally starting to bleed, and he sucked on the finger coated in the sticky red fluid. Perhaps it hadn't been that long since ExDeath's plans were put into high gear, but still, what a slow process. It had to be gradual, Svete knew that, but with all pretenses of benevolence dropped, there was no point in it.

He wasn't sure if Enenra was successful in its mission, but with what the Abductors had flown in with he now had a way to drag Bartz and the others to Edge if they had not perished in Cosmo Canyon. Sentimental heroes would always waste time helping their friends instead of going after their primary goal. It was such a predictable thing, almost never changing.

He stood from his desk to carefully round it, then headed out the door. Several scientists had discovered the resonance for the teleporter that had been in the meteorite, but it had only been roughly a day's time since he had seen it used to open up a hole into the Interdimensional Rift. ExDeath had said to run things as they were, after all.

So, Svete did what was part of the plan.

Being a scientist himself, he found the creatures sealed within to be interesting. Similar to beings of legend and folklore, he would have to describe them as something almost similar to a summon, made of something almost akin to stagnant Lifestream. But they were neither of those things, they were beings from the Outside. Beings of darkness and evil, just like ExDeath. Sealed away away from countless worlds, now leeching into this one.

Enenra had been all too happy to assist after it had pooled out of the gate. The scientists working on the project slowly came into line after a small outburst of primal fear and disgust at what they had done was extinguished. Svete could barely recognize them any more as it was, they had been so close to the space-time rift. All the better that they were loyal to ExDeath now, just as he himself was. It was only slightly disappointing that his ascension would take a little longer. He would revel in it when ExDeath's world of darkness was created for them.

As it was, Edge would soon know of it. There were many bodies for many spirits that had been unsealed in this place.

After a short walk Svete found himself at the entrance of a holding cell, two menacing creatures standing guard on either side of the door. Within would be two of ExDeath's hated foes who would be used as bait that would bring Bartz to him. Maybe he would devour them in front of that fool; would despair be so sweet? Yes, it could be. He unlocked and opened the door to the room with a small, dark joy bubbling inside him.

The room was small, poorly lit, and without any comfort for those within. His yellowing eyes stared down at a pair of women who had been tied up and left to flounder on the floor. Two rulers from another world; he did a small, mocking bow with an ugly grin on his face. "Queen Lenna Tycoon and Princess Krile Baldesion. What a pleasure."

He rubbed beneath his nose as he sniffled. "I assume you have left your crystals elsewhere?" A disappointing discovery but not a necessity.

Lenna scowled at him. "We will never let ExDeath or his minions get a hold of the crystals!"

Svete kicked her side. Not a very powerful thrust of his leg, but enough to get her to yelp. It was only so weak because of the shape his body was in. "It is only for my own curiosity, Queen Lenna," he mocked. "Before ExDeath unravels this world into the Void."

"Do you think you'll be saved when that happens?" Krile stared up at him with a harsh glare.

"'Saved'? What is that supposed to mean?" A very low chuckle passed his lips. "The Rift is where the Void hides. Unravel this world into the Outside, into the Void." He turned his gaze away and began to pace in front of the two warrior women. "What is Outside will come In, and what is In will be cast Out. Again and again and again, until all there is, is Void and Rift."

Svete stopped pacing, and faced them again. "A world of darkness awaits. The sun will never shine again, only the dim stars of dead worlds, I have seen it, beyond this reality." He had peeked into the tear in reality. It was a world without rhyme or reason, though the worst of it was far off in the distance. The longer he had looked, however, the more it had twisted his weak, still mortal mind.

Krile looked at him like the raving lunatic he was. She had been to the Interdimensional Rift before, and while it was strange and chaotic, it wasn't what she would consider maddening. Frustrating, but not maddening. She could feel something off about Svete, as if he were rotting from the inside out. The thought ran a chill down her spine.

"We will be ready for Bartz when he comes looking for you two. Please, feel free to rehearse a speech to give him."

Lenna was taken aback. "You're expecting him...A trap!"

Svete gave her a withering look. "Well of course. He can come in, but leaving this tower or Edge for that matter will be quite unfeasable." He cackled at the thought. "A nice little reunion between friends. Don't say I'm not the generous sort."

"We stopped ExDeath before. We can do it again. The crystals shine in the darkness!"

"Crystals..." Svete wondered about the Huge Materia. What if they had succeeded? He would have to send more monsters to ravage Cosmo Canyon and destroy the crystals. They could hamper ExDeath's goals. Or would they be too weak and new? He shook his head. "No matter. They can't shine forever."

With that he dismissed himself, sealing the door again and walking down the hall with his spindly arms behind his back. Svete looked out the window and down towards Edge, the city overcast by bleak, dark grey clouds. The sun should be shining somewhere in the east, but it was an eternal twilight gloom instead. The city should have been bustling with people, but the streets were as empty as they had been during the Deepground Incident.

There were humans huddled in those buildings, he knew. But slowly the madness would overtake them, one by one, and those not taken could be devoured or dragged to the WRO building for experimentation by the scientists left to do as they wished. Already any soldiers who hadn't fled Edge were too far gone, just like he himself was.

Now was a time to try new things. Hojo would have been proud, if only he could see what they would do.

Svete came back to his office and again scratched at the thinning skin beneath his scalp. Something was hidden beneath, not yet ready to be revealed. He picked at it anyway. What should he do? ExDeath was beyond the Forgotten Capital now, and planning to visit the rebuilt Icicle Inn soon. After that he would just have to find the entrance to the Northern Crater, where the Black Materia rested.

A materia that brought death from the skies would now bring death from the Outside. He tapped his long, gnarled fingers on his desk. As Lenna said, it was a trap. Would they know they were here? He couldn't leave that to fate when he needed them searching for their friends instead of for ExDeath, if Enenra had failed its mission. Of course, they could understandably be unbelieving of his claim. Svete slowly grasped his personal cellphone, then took out a small black book he had acquired from Reeve's secretary's desk.

Flipping through the pages, he found the number of the man he wished to speak to. There was a certain kind of pleasure to announcing such things in person, but a phone call would have to do. Svete savored every press of a button before he placed the phone to his ear, stood up, and waited for the man on the other side to pick up.

* * *

Tseng was a man who rarely found time to actually sleep. He was the leader of the Turks, after all. But still, he felt he had at least earned some rest tonight, and he was looking forward to some shut eye after they were done with their late dinner. His mind churned as he thought over everything that had happened in the last three hours; he stared into his small glass cup of sweet smelling tea as he sat cross legged on the floor of the special dining hall set aside for special occasions and emergencies.

They had assisted in the creation of crystals not unlike the ones on Bartz's world, that would possibly help delay ExDeath's plans just long enough to for them to defeat him. Faris had said something about her sister and another friend, that they had to be here. Which, Tseng concluded, meant they had come through the meteor portal.

Perhaps they had escaped the WRO. They would have crystals with them, so perhaps they used magic to avoid their pursuers, he hoped. Tseng would have to get ahold of Cissnei and Chuck, and hope that they could find them before the latter charged towards Bone Village. He had not heard from them since they had escaped Edge, but he himself had been busy with this or that as it was. Veld prowled Junon, after spiriting away Felicia to Fort Condor.

Tseng looked about the candle lit hall. It was filled with villagers and comrades. There was a mess of complex aromas as volunteers set about serving food to everyone, which was a very welcome reprieve after so much running and fighting. His body ached for something good to nourish it. The Turk took a long sip of his tea, appreciating the very slight lemony finish of the hot drink.

There was a long, woven grass rug that held a plate of soft flat bread and and a bowl of mashed red beans every four feet. He noticed that Bartz and Faris took well to the Cosmo Canyon snack, called azahin paan in the local language. Cloud had eaten whatever his family hadn't, and seemed ready to ask for the platter beyond. As for himself, he had enjoyed a few pieces with the other Turks.

Even Rufus broke bread with Reeve. It was an interesting time to be alive.

Tseng tensed as his phone released an all too familiar vibration, strong and curt. He took his leave swiftly and towards an abandoned corner that was far away enough from strange ears. He didn't even look at who was calling before putting it up to his ear, hoping it was perhaps Cissnei or Veld. "Tseng."

A chill ran down his spine as the voice on the other end oozed out of the receiver. "I was hoping that you and your ilk were dead, but no matter. How did you enjoy Enenra, Turk?"

Tseng's face hardened after his initial shock. Svete was taking the effort to call him for some reason. "What do you want?"

"I want what ExDeath wants, of course. But that will come later, as for now..." There was a small wheeze of an inhale on the other end of the phone, then Svete's voice returned. "I wish to formally invite you all to Edge."

"Is that so?" Tseng glanced at the other three Turks, then had his gaze linger on Rufus as they made eye contact.

There was a dark chuckle for a reply. "Oh yes. Bartz especially, we would appreciate his presence."

"...We?"

"His friends came looking for him, you know. I told them I understood they would like to see dear old Bartz again. So, please don't tarry." There was a pause. "Lenna and Krile look forward to reuniting with him soon."

The Turk's eyes narrowed. "You're lying," he tested. Still, his gut sank. There was no concrete way to tell unless they went to Edge.

A cackle came from the phone. "Then don't come. The two will make a delightful meal to those that wish to partake. You just think it over, Tseng of the Turks. We will be waiting, but not for long."

There was a click, and Tseng stared off into the space between him and the stone wall. It was a trap, obvious to anyone who would have heard the conversation. But how would Svete know those two particular names? Did they mean anything at all? He turned to look at Bartz, who was eating a plate of curry and couscous next to Faris.

There wouldn't be much time to waste. They had to recover after the battle, but that was no excuse to not plan. Tseng carefully maneuvered himself closer Bartz, and stood behind him as he looked up with a spoon in his mouth. Bartz raised his brows in query. "Hm?"

"Bartz. Do you know anyone that goes by the names Lenna and Krile?"

The young man looked shocked, and he pulled the spoon away. "Yeah, they're our friends!"

Tseng pursed his lips. Maybe Svete had found out their names somehow, and he was using it to goad them into wasting time and very possibly their lives. He needed to think this over. "I see."

Faris asked, "what about them? Ye got word of me sister?"

Before he could reply, a beep came from his cellphone. There was a message. Opening it, he was greeted to a picture of a dingy room with two young women kneeling haphazardly on the floor. One was blonde, the other pink haired of all things. They looked slightly battered.

"Tseng?"

He looked at Bartz again, who was now standing by him. Tseng hesitated showing him the picture, but he needed it confirmed. "Do you know these two?"

Bartz looked at the photo, and his gray eyes widened. "T-that's them! Where are they? We gotta save them!"

Faris was standing now, but the Turk had already put the phone away. "Svete captured them. I don't know how he found your friends, but he's using them to bait us into rescuing them from Edge."

"Then we go to Edge. I'm not leavin' me sister, or Krile for that matter, in the hands of these bilgerats!" Faris' voice was raised, catching the attention of some of the others nearby.

"What's going on?" Tifa inquired as she put down a bowl of watery soup.

Bartz faced her. "That Svete guy has our friends!"

"It's a trap," Tseng drawled out. "He wants us wasting time there and not on the Northern Continent."

"We can't leave them," Bartz replied.

"Then may I suggest we split up?" The group looked over at Rufus as he lounged nearby. "I don't think it would take an army to rescue your friends."

"Bartz exhaled, then nodded shortly. "Yeah...but, who's coming?"

Faris gave her friend's shoulder a pat. "I'm goin'. You stay with your dream friend over there."

"Wait, you're going into Edge?" Cloud swallowed. "We need someone to watch over Cosmo Canyon, too." He knew Bartz and Faris' friends had to be rescued, but they needed someone to watch over the crystals, too.

"Aye, but this is just as important, matey."

"I know it is."

"I'm sure the Turks can handle a small rescue mission," Rufus said with confidence.

Reeve raised his hand. "Cait Sith can come as well. There's a few secret passages even the likes of the Turks don't know about."

"A group of six will be fine." Tseng crossed his arms in thought. They would have to coordinate carefully, between their strengths and weaknesses. Faris would be the wild card.

It began a tense discussion between all those involved. Who would stay, who would go after ExDeath. Slowly, a team plan grew. The Turks, Faris, and Cait Sith would rescue Lenna and Krille. Marlene and Denzel would stay in Cosmo Canyon with Nanaki, Vincent, Shelke, Rufus and Reeve. Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Cid, Bartz and Yuffie would make up the group that confronted ExDeath.

The group had finished eating as they came to an agreement. "We'll have to move as quickly as we can," Cloud concluded.

Cid shrugged. "Can't go tonight, I'm afraid. The Shera's gettin some repairs done on her."

"So, like, let's try and get some sleep while we can!" Yuffie stretched and popped her spine.

Bartz nodded quietly, then followed the ninja outside and towards an inn with Faris by his side. His adventure to another world had gone completely upside down. But, he would see to it that ExDeath was vanquished once again. Hopefully, this time he would be gone for good.

It was soon after he found himself on one of many beds. He stared at the ceiling, thinking too much to sleep. "Bartz."

He turned his head to look at Faris. "Yeah?"

She was on her side, facing him. "Have ye been to this place, Edge?"

"Uh, no. Not in the city."

Faris nodded into her pillow. "It's a strange place to be. I hope they can hold on long enough in that maze for us to rescue him. She closed her eyes. "And fer me to gut every last one of those fish-bellied imbeciles that did this!"

Bartz held a hopeful smile on his face before making himself more comfortable. "Yeah. I bet we'll bring them back, safe and sound."

He started to feel sleep slowly creep up on him. There was no use in worrying right now, only in anticipating the day he saw Lenna and Krile again. The Turks would help them while he went off to face the great demon of Moore Forest once again. Then, perhaps, he could see about getting that gold chocobo that would allow him to travel all over this world, still so new to him.


End file.
